You've Got Email
by TigerLily888
Summary: The team posts personal ads on a matchmaking website for Emily and Hotch who start exchanging emails with each other, not knowing the identity of their 'perfect match'. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone, here's my new fic. I'm going to be trying to make the chapters reasonably short and sharp. And it's going to be lighthearted - at least that's the plan! Hope my muse cooperates. And it's very likely going to be raunchy, I know, you're surprised right? *big grin*  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, and no infringement is intended.**

Brrp brrp.

Emily picked up her vibrating cell. Grimacing at the information on the screen, she pressed ignore. After placing the phone back down on the table, she picked up her beer and took two healthy gulps before emitting a heavy sigh.

JJ watched her friend's antics with amusement. "Okay, so who was that?" She had to speak loudly to compete with Keith Urban's voice crooning about 'why's it feel so long' through the loudspeakers in the crowded bar.

"You don't want to know." At JJ's raised eyebrows, she reiterated, "Trust me, you _really_ don't want to know. Okay, okay, let's just say for our first date he suggested we try line dancing. Really, me, line dancing?"

JJ smiled, taking a sip of her own beer. "Hey, it could've been fun."

"Yeah, sure it could." JJ could make out her sarcastic tone of voice even over the loud music and conversation around them. Emily continued, "You know how I was joking when you were pregnant with Henry that Will was the last viable donor? I really was joking then, but now I'm completely convinced there're no viable single men left."

"Well, there are those three over there." JJ inclined her head towards their teammates. Dave, Derek and Reid were playing darts twenty feet away from them.

"You mean Bashful, Thoughtful and Sleazy?" Emily gave her an are-you-serious look.

JJ choked on her beer. "Oh God, that's hilarious. All right, we need to come up with a game plan. A serious one. Your biological clock is getting dangerously close to running out."

"Gee, thanks Jayj, I feel so much more relaxed now that you've said that. No pressure at all." Emily rolled her eyes.

At that moment, Pene arrived at their table, three neon coloured drinks in tow. "Here we go ladies!"

"PG, what in the world are these?" Emily accepted one that was bright blue. "Actually, don't tell me, I'd rather not know."

"No need to fret, my lovely, all you need to know is that it is guaran-damn-teed to lower your inhibitions and introduce a sense of well-being which we all sorely need at this moment in time." Pene sat down and took a sip of her bright pink cocktail. "Okay, so has JJ told you what we've decided to do?"

"No, what have you decided to do?"

JJ exchanged a look with Pene at the suspicious look Emily threw towards them. "What do you think about the idea of putting a personal ad on a matchmaking site?"

"What? Putting myself on a matchmaking site? No freaking way!" Emily looked horrified.

"Em! Come on, give it a chance," cajoled Pene. "Look, you have nothing to lose. There's a special offer at the moment on 'Two Hearts'. Registration is free, and so is the result of the matches it comes up with. I've checked it out and it's a bona fide site. You're not even obliged to contact anyone. JJ and I will even vet potential suitors for you."

"No, really, the thought of it is just...I'm not comfortable with it." Emily drained the last of her blue cocktail.

It was JJ's turn to persuade her friend. "Em, you don't even have time to meet guys with our work schedule. I think this is actually a really good way of finding that elusive guy. And with Pene as our secret weapon, you don't have to worry about the guy being a serial murderer or sexual deviant. It will be completely safe and anonymous, we won't even include your photo. What do you say?"

Emily wrinkled her nose. "This is totally against my better judgment but all right. Only because I trust the both of you. And I want to see the ad before it gets posted."

Pene cheered loudly, clapping her hands. "You won't be sorry, peaches, I promise! JJ and I will work on the ad this very night and run it by you tomorrow."

JJ watched her dark-haired friend make a face. "I'm kinda regretting this already." To JJ's surprise, Emily's face brightened in the next moment. "But, if we're really going to do this, don't exclude all the sexual deviants, okay? I could really do with some excitement in my sex life."

**Right, so please tell me if you enjoyed this so I'll know how hard I should be working to post the next chapter. Next one will be a conversation between the guys, about Hotch, of course!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone, I've decided to post this chapter much earlier than expected because I need your help. Can you help me come up with handles / screen names for Hotch and Emily? I need them to remain anonymous (obviously) to each other so if you think of something, feel free to either insert it in your review or PM me! The funnier and more appropriate to the character it is, the better! I thought of Super-g-man for Hotch, but that was too much of a giveaway, I don't even want them to know the other is an FBI agent. Thanks in advance!**

**Here's the conversation between the guys.**

"Hey Reid, did you ask Hotch to join us?" Derek took aim and threw a dart at the dartboard. He hit the centre perfectly. As he was turning around to gloat, he caught the eye of a sexy senorita with smoky dark eyes. Hot damn. This was his lucky night. He winked at her, grinning when she responded with a slow smile.

"Please tell me I didn't just see you winking at Agent Mendosa over there." Dave sounded resigned.

"What? She's with the bureau? Shit," Derek muttered. "I haven't had a date in over a week."

"Yeah, you'd better get a date, that long dry spell you're experiencing is probably going to cause you dick to shrivel up and fall off." Dave responded drily. He picked up his glass and took a sip of his scotch.

"Speaking of dry spells, did you ask Hotch, Reid?" Derek asked again.

"Oh yeah, he said he had to go home to see Jack." Reid was examining the dart in his hand. "You know, I don't think this dart is balanced."

"Right, that's why you're behind by a thousand points." Derek rolled his eyes.

"Hang on, what's the connection between dry spells and Hotch?" Reid frowned, looking at his teammates.

Derek suppressed the urge to roll his eyes again. "Surely you realise that Hotch hasn't had a date since Haley left him. That was like two and a half years ago. Major dry spell. I'm talking the Sahara dry."

"Well, actually, the Sahara dessert isn't the driest desert, the Atacama Desert in Chile has the lowest rate of precipitation at less than 1.5 centimetres annually and..."

"Thanks for getting the point I was making, Reid," interrupted Derek. "My _point_ is, we should do something to help him out."

"What, like arranging a blind date for him? I can really see Hotch agreeing to that." Dave was his usual sarcastic self.

"Come on, man, help out your friend. And no, I was thinking more in terms of finding him someone who would be his 'true soul mate'." He made the quotation marks sign with his hands when he said the last two words.

"What?" Reid looked confused. "How would we do that?"

"Matchmaking sites, Reid. We can google them and then when we find the right one, we can post an ad for Hotch."

"I don't feel comfortable doing that, Morgan." Reid looked, well, uncomfortable, for want of a better word.

"Fine, you don't have to be involved. I'm pretty sure you're not going to be able to come up with a catchy ad, anyway." Derek turned to Dave. "Whaddya say, Rossi, you going to help me out?"

Dave sighed, taking another sip of his scotch. "What the hell, let's do it. At the very least maybe we can get him some much needed relief."

"Umm..."

Dave and Derek's eyebrows raised in disbelief when they saw him raise his hand.

"By relief do you mean – " Reid asked hesitantly.

"Sex, Reid," the other two men answered simultaneously.

"Oh." Reid looked awkward.

"Totally no disrespect meant to Hotch, but if he had a bit of happy time, he might actually smile more. I think his face muscles have actually forgotten how to. Anyway, back to the subject matter on hand, what do you think we should put in the ad?" Derek walked to the dartboard and starting removing the darts.

"We probably shouldn't mention that he's a workaholic..." Dave started off.

"Or that he frowns. A lot." Reid piped up. "And looks really scary most of the time."

Derek frowned at him.

"Hey, he intimidates me, okay?" Reid added defensively. "And I'm man enough to admit it."

Derek bit his lip at the retort that had almost escaped. "Should we say he works for the bureau? Women might find it hot that he has a gun."

"Maybe the women _you_ date, Morgan. I'm pretty sure none of my ex-wives found that part of my job a turn on."

"Yeah, and that's probably where you went wrong, Rossi." Derek couldn't resist teasing the older man.

"I think we should state upfront that he's a single dad. Jack's an important part of his life and besides, it's not something that he'll be able to hide if things get serious." This from Reid.

"Good point, Reid. Maybe you'll be useful after all." Derek gave him an approving look. "I'm going to get some paper from the bartender and we can jot down some notes."

"And then all we have to do is break the news to Hotch and hope he doesn't beat the crap out of us with his baton," Dave muttered as they walked back towards their table.

Derek grinned. "Kinky. Hey, maybe we can work in the baton and handcuffs to spice up the section on his sexual preferences."

"Umm guys? Suddenly feeling uncomfortable again," called out Reid from behind them.

**Hope you found that fun, do review if you can spare a minute. And send me any suggestions you have. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who sent me handle suggestions, and to those who tried their best to think of some! You are all wonderful, so thank you so much. You'll find out what I settled on in a couple of chapters' time. In the meantime, here are the ladies again...  
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_Six days later..._

"Lunch time, finally." Emily sat down at the table in the break room, removing the cover from her microwaveable container and revealing a grilled vegetable stack.

"Ooh, what have you got there?" Both Pene and JJ peered enviously at her steaming hot lunch.

"It's a veggie stack with grilled eggplant, red peppers, mushrooms, pumpkin and haloumi cheese on top. I brought a big piece, wanna have some?" Emily pushed the container over.

"This is soooo good. Like a million times better than my egg sandwich." Pene closed her eyes as she slowly chewed the bite she had taken. "I mean, I really shouldn't complain, Kevin's no gourmet chef, but he does make lunch for me."

"Aww, that's sweet," teased Emily.

"I don't know how we did it, but you, my sweet, have gotten like a gazillion hits on your profile, despite your lack of a photo."

Emily looked dubiously at Pene. "Really? There're that many desperadoes in DC?"

"Desperados, losers, douches, idiots, you name it, you got it. But, fear not, my sweet maiden, I have here a list of best matches and JJ and I have narrowed it down to three potential suitors for your hand."

"Three out of a thousand? Wow, there must have a been a hell of a lot of chaff for your to find just three grains." Emily didn't feel confident about the results at all. Really, what sort of people would resort to personal ads to find a potential partner? Okay, she was one of them. Which just goes to show how pathetic her love life was.

"Come on, you said you'd give this a go. And trust us, these three men look really promising. And if they don't suit, that's fine, we can move on to others." JJ waited for Pene to hand Emily a copy of the printout in her hand. "Pene, you want to read out the first one?"

"Right, so potential suitor number 3, who has 84 percent compatibility with you is a 39 year old ex semi-pro football player, financially stable, loves long talks by the fireside and dogs. He says here that he has experienced enough of the dating scene and is ready to settle down and commit to the right person. And he's looking for a classy lady who – "

Emily held up her hand. "No need to keep going PG, I get the picture. He's loaded, probably has a bum knee if not actually crippled, has slept with a few hundred women and now wants to find one who'll put up with him. Next candidate please."

Pene stared at Emily, open mouthed. "Oh, what? You can't shoot him down so quickly. Look, there's even a photo, he's cute!"

Emily took a bite of her lunch and gave a dismissive glance at the blond tousled haired male in the photo. "Yep, definitely a no. How long did he have to work on his hair to make it look like that? And JJ. I'm surprised at you. How'd you let this one get past?" She gave her friend a questioning look. JJ knew her better than that.

JJ shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. "Well, actually, I knew you weren't going to go for him, but seriously, if you think he's bad, you should have seen the other 28 guys the site came up with. And anyhow, I thought you might want to keep him in your back pocket just for those times when the Rabbit just ain't enough," she drawled, giving Emily a wink.

"Good one," grinned Emily. "Okay, Pene, put him in the 'only to be used as a sex object' pile."

"I cannot believe the both of you," Pene replied, rolling her eyes. "I better not have wasted my time trying to find sex partners for you, Emily Prentiss. I didn't sign up for this to be a pimp-tress, you know." She had an offended look on her face.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, you are so not a pimp-tress, and I love you for doing this for me." Emily gave Pene a quick hug. "Who's the next candidate?"

"Potential suitor number 2, with a compatibility factor of 89 percent is a successful business professional with a fortune 500 company. Darn hot, too, check this out." Pene passed over a photo showing a sandy haired man who looked like he had stepped out of the pages of GQ.

"Okay...I could go for him. And check that suit out, it must have cost at least $8,000. What else do we know about him?"

"Umm...let's see. He's an outdoorsy type, loves hiking, mountain climbing, camping, wow probably explains why he's so fit looking. Uh oh, now what?" Pene noticed the grimace on Emily's face.

"Okay, here's my problem. By the time my weekend comes along, _if_ in fact it comes along and we don't get called out on a consult, pretty much all I want to do is lie on the couch and read a good book, or potter around in the kitchen trying out recipes from my slow cooking cookbook. I really don't want to go out re-enacting _Man vs Wild_ and find myself in a situation where the only thing between life and certain death is me giving myself an enema. Not to mention, sex in a tent on pebbly ground, puh-leeze."

"JJ, you better do this last one, because I need to get some coffee before I STRANGLE Ms Crazy-ass Fussy here!" Pene put her hands out in a strangling motion, glaring at Emily.

"Sorry!" called out Emily to Pene, feeling supremely apologetic. She was such a bad friend. "Maybe I shouldn't waste any more of your time. This is hopeless. I think I'm un-dateable. Seriously."

"You're probably right," JJ replied agreeably. "I'm sure there'll be something wrong with this candidate, even if he does have a 97.5 percent compatibility with you."

Emily perked up. There must be some kind of mistake. "No way. 97.5 percent compatibility, really? Show me." She took her bit of paper and looked at the introductory blurb.

"_Law enforcement professional and single dad in his early forties seeks warm hearted female for friendship and possible relationship. Sense of humour essential to lighten up my demeanour which my colleagues have described as travelling the full spectrum between grim and austere. I value loyalty, honesty, and above all, integrity; qualities which I hold myself to. _

_NB. For the record I do have a sense of humour. It's just been sitting on a shelf for a long while and __needs to be taken down and dusted off. If you see yourself as a semi-capable housekeeper in this respect, please contact me._"

Emily looked up at her friends who were looking at her with expectant looks on their faces. She suddenly realised that her pulse was beating rapidly. "Girls, I think we have a winner."

**A/n. The sense of humour reference was actually from Thomas Gibson, so I thought it appropriate to include it in the ad :) Let me know what you thought of this chapter, good or bad.**


	4. Chapter 4

**The guys tell Hotch...  
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"Okay, how are we going to do this?" Derek asked his fellow conspirators as they walked towards Hotch's office.

"I think we should just tell him the truth," suggested Reid.

"Yeah, I really don't think we have any other choice," agreed Dave. "But, if Hotch gets mad, we're offering you up at the culprit. Reid and I were just lemmings along for the ride."

Derek narrowed his eyes at Dave. "No _way_, man. If I go down, you're all going down with me." He saw Reid swallow hard. "But don't worry, it's all going to be sweet once Hotch sees this profile. Hell, if he turns her down, there's something seriously wrong with him." He knocks on Hotch's open door.

"Enter." Hotch looked up, brows drawing together when he saw the trio. "What's happened?" He immediately focussed his laserlike stare on Reid.

"Uh, nothing, sir."

Derek shook his head when Reid's voice cracked on the word nothing. It never ceased to amaze him that Reid could be in the same room with the most violent criminal and not break out in a sweat, but all Hotch had to do was look at him and he'd practically wet himself. He stepped forward and waited until Hotch met his eyes. "Hotch, look, I'm just going to come right out and say it. A few days ago Rossi, Reid and I put a personal ad on this online matchmaking site on your behalf."

Hotch froze. "I beg your pardon?" An incredulous look had crept onto his usually stoic face.

"We were thinking that it was probably about time you started dating. It's been two years since Haley passed on, Hotch, you need to socialise a little. So we thought we might give you a little helping hand."

"By posting a personal ad. On a matchmaking website." He shook his head slowly in disbelief. "What the hell would make you think that I would welcome your interference in my personal life?"

Derek was dismayed to see his supervisor clench his jaw, a look of thunder forming on his face. He saw Reid take a step backwards out of the corner of his eye. "Hotch, I'm sorry, I know we overstepped our bounds, and we never even thought anything would come of it – "

"Bullshit," coughed Dave into his hand. Derek glared at his teammate.

"Rossi, shut up." Derek turned back to Hotch. "Hotch, before you sentence us to write your reports till the end of time, please just have a look at this. The website provided this report of your most compatible matches and check this out. You have a 97.5 percent compatibility with this woman, which is damn near impossible. But, even if that's a mistake, check out her profile. I think," he paused, looking around at Dave and Reid, "_we_ think you should definitely get in touch with her."

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><p>Feeling intensely annoyed, Hotch stared silently at his team, long enough to cause even Morgan to shift uncomfortably. He finally looked down on the piece of paper that his subordinate had handed him.<p>

_Attractive, 40 year old professional woman with a great sense of humour seeks confident, self-assured professional for a committed relationship and to avoid her destiny of otherwise ending up as a crazy cat lady. I love travelling, cooking, an intense workout at the gym and curling up in bed on rainy days with a good book. Only men who are not intimidated by a woman with a strong character need apply._

He glanced further down the page but did not see a photo. Even so, he couldn't deny the spark of interest that had alighted in him upon reading the introductory profile. He was loathed though to show his reaction after the team went behind his back. He looked back up at Morgan. "Was anyone else involved?" He wasn't sure how he would face JJ, Emily or Garcia if they had been in on this as well.

"No way, it was just us, I swear."

"What did you write for my profile?" At these words, Morgan and Reid started looking relieved and Dave even had a smile on his face. "Don't get too comfortable. The three of you can be the first point of contact for phone consults for the next three months. And Dave, you should have known better. You can do the budget reporting to Strauss for the next two quarters." The smile faded from Dave's face.

"Um, I'll write your account details for you. You can log on and you'll see your profile." Reid quickly scribbled on a post-it note and gave it to Hotch.

Hotch gave his team a look which he hoped showed his displeasure. Apparently he succeeded when Reid started to resemble a frightened doe. "You're dismissed for now." Hotch might have been amused to see how quickly they exited his office, but his attention was focused on the website which he had already started to access from his cellphone.

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><p>"That went better than I expected." Derek grinned at Reid when they reached their desks. Dave had left to buy lunch.<p>

Reid frowned at him. "What do you mean? You said it was going to be fine!"

"Yeah, I may have talked it up a bit," said Derek with an unrepentant shrug.

"MORGAN!"

Reid jumped violently in his chair when he heard Hotch's bellow of rage from his office. _Oh no._

"I think Hotch just saw the baton and handcuffs reference in the profile. I'm outta here." Derek grabbed his jacket and ran out the door, leaving Reid to face the music. Alone.

**The crazy cat lady reference was from greengirl82, thanks for that! Drop me a review if you can. Next chapter will be the actual email correspondence.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n. Okay, here go the first emails between our beloved duo. A MASSIVE, GIGANTIC thanks go to babygurl 0506 for her handles suggestions - you really do have a gift! And also thanks for helping me out with this chapter. I can't thank you enough, really :)  
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**And thank you all so much for your reviews for the last chapter, I'm really sorry I didn't reply to each of you personally, but my phone line has been down so I had no internet access at home for two whole days, I'm not even sure how I survived that. To be completely honest, I'm not really all that happy with this chapter, but anyway, here it is. Let me know what you thought.**

Hotch stared at the single email in bold that was sitting in his personal inbox. The inbox of the new email account that Reid had set up for him. The subject title on display was 'Hi'. It was such an innocuous word, but for some reason every muscle in his body had tensed with anticipation. His heartbeat barely even moved from its normal rate when they were taking down an UnSub, and yet here he was, about to click on an email and his heart was pounding so fiercely that he could barely think. _This is ridiculous, get a grip, Hotchner._ He forced his hand to move the mouse and opened the email.

_Hi there,_

_I have to be honest and tell you that I've never done this before. It's only due to the fact that our compatibility score was almost off the chart that I've overcome my reservations and decide to send you this email._

_I'm sure there's probably a 'How to Write an Email in Response to Personal Ads for Dummies' handbook, but I haven't read it, so I'm just going to wing it and hope for the best. You've seen my ad, so you already know some basic things about me. This was the first personal ad of any kind that I have ever posted. I have to admit that when my friends suggested it, I thought it was a completely crazy idea. I guess I just never really bought into this online dating thing. _

_Here's the thing, I have a job which I love, but it does take up a lot of my time and I just don't have the the time or energy to keep going out on first dates, then finding out that I have nothing in common with that other person._

_Which leads me to the next point. I guess the most important thing I wanted to tell you is that I, too, highly value loyalty, honesty and integrity. So if these really are the qualities you stand by, I think we'd really be able to hit it off. I think I read somewhere that less than 1 percent of couples in a long term relationship met through personal ads so I know that this is a really long shot, but I'm willing to give this a go if you are. _

_Well, I guess, if you're still reading this, I didn't scare you away with my rambling, which is probably a good sign. Anyway, I hope you'll give me a chance to dust off that sense of humour of yours. _

_I hope to hear from you, but if not, that's okay too and I wish you all the best._

_Kind regards,_

_BeautyAndBrains_

_P.S. I've just realised how formal my email sounded, please just put it down to nerves – I promise I am NOT a lawyer in real life!_

Hotch smiled at the last sentence. He read the letter again, and then once more. Pausing for a few minutes to gather his thoughts, he hit the reply button and started to type.

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><p>"Emily Prentiss, check your email right now." Pene's voice was vibrating with barely suppressed excitement over the internal phone.<p>

"What? Why?" But even as she spoke, she knew. Ohmigod, ohmigod, he replied. She scrambled around her file strewn desk for her cell. Her stomach dropped when she saw the new email in her inbox. Oh no. What if it was a total rejection? How was she going to handle it? His profile had sounded so promising. _Oh, for goodness sake, Emily, act like the adult you are._

"Pene, I'm going to hang up now and read this email. And then I'll call you back okay? And don't think I didn't notice that you knew I had a new email before I did. I'll talk to you about that later." She hung up on her protesting friend. Luckily it was lunchtime, and everyone else had gone to the cafeteria for lunch. Even so, she did a quick head check to make sure. She didn't want any witnesses to her disappointment, or conversely, excitement. She even looked up at Hotch's office, relieved to see that he was looking intently at his computer screen. Taking a deep breath, she tapped on the new email notification.

_Dear BeautyAndBrains,_

_Thanks for your email. Before I go any further, I should tell you that I am a man of few words. When I do speak, it's more often than not direct and to the point, which is necessary as time is of the essence in my line of work. I'm also well aware that this doesn't lend itself well in the personal sphere. I suppose I am telling you this in the hope that you won't be completely turned off by my writing style, which till now has been confined to writing reports and the odd legal brief._

_Yes, that's my second character flaw. I'm a lawyer, but I'm not a practising one, so I hopefully you'll be kind enough to overlook this. I could go on for length about my many faults, but I don't want to completely turn you off. So maybe I'll keep it to one fault per email, and hopefully that will intrigue you and make you want to come back again for more? Okay, even I can tell that was a bad joke, my sense of humour really needs some work._

_As for my personal ad being in existence in the first place, let's just say I had the same well meaning friends as you do. If I didn't know better, I'd have said they hung out together. Like you, my job consumes my life, which is something I would have no qualms about except for the fact that I have a little boy whom I see much too little of. I know that this was in my profile, but I wanted you to know that I have a six-year-old son who lives with me and that he's a big part of my life._

_So if this fact hasn't made you run for the hills, then yes, I would very much like to get to know you better too. I look forward to hearing from you._

_Regards,_

_StoicByNature_

_P/s. As this is my first email to you, I will give away a bonus fault. I am a neat freak, obsessively so._

Emily re-read the email, but it was only when she reached the last sentence did she come to a sudden realisation that she was grinning like an idiot. She quickly looked around, no one was back yet. Why did she get the feeling that this budding online relationship was going to be _the_ highlight of her life.

**Send me a review if you have a moment.  
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**A reminder to please vote for your favourite authors for the 2011 Profiler's Choice CM Awards over by Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. There're lots of categories and your votes will be most appreciated, I'm sure!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys, bonus chapter this week, I've been on a roll. And I thought I should post now as my phone line is playing up again, the darn thing. Talk about being a hostage to technology.  
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**Thanks for all your reviews so far. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>Hotch felt his phone vibrate. It must be her. She had finally replied. The team had been called to Atlanta for an urgent consult and aside from a handful of hours' sleep, none of them had gotten a moment to themselves since they touched down 48 hours ago. They had finally caught a break and the UnSub had been apprehended two hours ago. At the moment they were all being driven to the airport by staff from the field office to fly home.<p>

He tried to look casual as he pulled out his cell, hoping that Dave won't notice. No such luck.

"Who's that?" Dave raised his eyebrows above his sunglasses.

Hotch shot him a quelling look. "It's personal." He made sure his tone invited no further questions.

Dave smiled. "Ahh...personal, huh? Say no more." He turned back to face the front, a smug smile on his face.

Hotch ignored him and opened his email.

_Dear StoicByNature,_

_I'm sorry I haven't replied earlier, something urgent came up at work and it's only just been resolved. I should probably be acting all ladylike and coy, but I'm not the type of person who plays games. So I hope you don't mind if I just come right out and say that I was really happy to hear from you. I had a big smile on my face as I was reading your email. It was a good thing all my colleagues were out at lunch I won't have heard the end of it for days! Do you get that at work? There's this guy in particular whom I swear makes it his mission to drive me crazy. He's such a joker. But underneath his tough exterior is a big heart, so I put up with his antics._

_Oops, sorry, I got sidetracked. So let's see, you say you're a non-practising lawyer and a man of a few words, is that a contradiction in terms? I'm sure you can wax lyrical if the situation requires you to. Call me strange, but I actually liked the formality in the way you wrote, it was sexy. Was that too forward? _

_As for being a neat freak? Nothing wrong with that! I'm one too, which is probably one of the 97.5 percent of things we have in common. That's a pretty ridiculous figure, isn't it? I'm pretty sure even identical twins aren't 97.5 percent compatible. But then, what do I know. I'm an only child. _

_Anyway, I've come up with a great idea. Since you were going to reveal one fault of yours per email, how about we up the stakes, so to speak? We have to tell each other a fault PLUS one of either a like/dislike/weakness/strength. I'll start. My fault is that I sometimes get too emotionally involved when I should be objective and professional. I think I'm pretty good at remaining distant usually, but sometimes, something creeps underneath my defences and then bam. It's those times when I wish I had someone to come home to, you know?_

_As for you having a son, I think that is really wonderful. Once in a while I hang out with my boss' son and I always find myself overwhelmed by his innocence and the sense of wonder that he still experiences. Most of all, I love that he doesn't yet know that he has to censor his speech. It makes me sad sometimes when I think of how he's going to change as he grows. Wow, I totally didn't mean to get all intense on you! I'm sorry, it's been a rather intense and exhausting two days. I promise I'll try to lighten up next email._

_Today, I think I'll tell you about one of my likes. I love watching reruns of old tv shows. My favourites are Get Smart and I Dream of Jeannie. I adore that women were being portrayed as strong and intelligent characters. Great stress relief. I'd go into other forms of stress relief that I undertake, but that's probably WAY too forward for this stage of our 'relationship' ! *grin*_

_Your turn._

_X_

_p/s. That wasn't a kiss, just a signature to hide my identity. No virtual kisses until at least the 20th email!_

Hotch was aware that he was smiling, okay, it was more like he was grinning like a fool. He wouldn't have admitted it to the guys if they had hung him up by his toes and poured boiling oil over him, but he was having fun. A hell of a lot of fun.

* * *

><p>"I've never seen Hotch start work on a report so quickly," murmured JJ. Emily looked up and saw their supervisor typing furiously on his ipad. The team was on the plane, waiting for clearance from air traffic control to take off.<p>

"Mmm...he probably just wants to get a head start so he can go home and hang out with Jack."

"So, how's it going with Mystery Man?"

Emily couldn't prevent a smile from forming. "Good, I emailed him again just now. Had this super long email written out but didn't get a chance to finish it and send it off. It takes freaking forever to type it out on my cell."

"Why don't you use your ipad? It's got 3G doesn't it?"

"JJ, you are a genius!" Emily grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "And I can access my email from there. Not being able to do it at work is killing me!"

"Oh boy, you're obsessed," sung JJ, grinning.

"Obsessed about what?" Reid came over and sat down in front of them.

"Nothing," replied Emily airily. She suddenly felt her cell vibrate. Trying to look casual, she got up from her seat. "Just need to visit the facilities before take off." She hurried down the aisle, ignoring the smirk on JJ's face.

_Dear BrainsAndBeauty,_

_I was also very glad to see your email. I hope the urgent situation was resolved to your liking. I've been busy myself the last two days, and I have to admit that reading your email was a nice ending to two days of intense activity. Let's see, what did you talk about. The joker at work, yes, I have one of those too at my workplace. Luckily, I'm the boss so I don't tend to be the object of his teasing. And I get to reign him in, so that's something I guess._

_I'm happy to hear that you like children, they really are incredible little people. I really think their capacity to think and understand exceeds their age. Perhaps one day, if things go well, you can meet my son. He's a very special little guy, but then, I'm biased._

_Some things get under my defences too, so don't think you're the only one. I guess it's human nature to blame ourselves when things go wrong. I'm very good at pushing things aside and not thinking about them during the day. It's that time just before sleep when it all rushes back, so yes, I do miss having someone to talk to at the end of the day._

_I can't write long, I'm on a plane about to take off, so just very quickly, another fault I have is that I sometimes don't listen to what someone else is trying to tell me. It doesn't happen often, though. At least, I don't think it does. And one of my major weaknesses is Hershey kisses. Well, chocolate of any kind, really, but if I get started on a bag of kisses, they're gone within 10 minutes. I'm serious.  
><em>

_I wouldn't know how to flirt if you put a gun to my head, but I'd be interested in hearing about your other stress relieving activities. Do tell._

_Have to go, write back soon. I'm looking forward to your next email._

_X too_

_P/s. Also NOT a kiss. _

_Pp/s. Do you mind if I ask you how you look like?_

Emily did a little jig in the tiny bathroom. He asked her to write back soon and he couldn't wait to see her email. Oh, happy days!

* * *

><p><strong>Drop me a line if you can! Oh, and I wanted to do a poll and ask if you would like to see some M rated emails? Because I've actually managed to keep it T rated at the moment. And I'm pretty sure I can maintain that till the end. But I wanted to hear what you thought. Just let me know when you review (is that incentive enough?) *grin*<strong> **Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks so much for all your reviews, guys. So pretty much everyone and their pet wanted some M rated correspondence LOL. So that will be coming up later, not yet. They need to get to know each other first, right?  
><strong>

_Dear StoicByNature,_

_Yes, the situation was resolved to our satisfaction, thanks for asking. It was really nice knowing that my email brightened up your day. No, I don't mind you asking how I look like. I'm 5'8", slim build, with black shoulder-length hair, dark brown eyes and very fair skin. As in I-hate-all-people-who-can-tan-with-a-passion fair. I wouldn't describe myself as pretty or beautiful, but I think I'm reasonably attractive. _

_I should say here that I know it's probably quite normal for people to post photos of themselves on these ads, but I'm an intensely private person. Added to this, the fact that I'm a single woman means that I have to be careful in what I do and protect myself. So I hope you don't mind if we don't exchange photos for the time being._

_So, Mr GrimAndAustere a.k.a. Mr StoicByNature has a weakness for Hershey kisses, really? That is adorable, am I allowed to say that? And I won't be too hard on yourself, I don't think there is a single person out there who can say they listen to what other people say and take those comments on board 100 percent of the time. I certainly don't._

_Okay, my turn. Another fault of mine would be that I don't do my laundry till things get desperate. By that I mean I have to delve into my stash of very unsexy high-waisted underwear. I'm sorry if that was too much info! It seems that the fact that I'm not speaking to you face to face makes it much easier for me to divulge really personal information. So in an effort to preserve some modicum of modesty, I think I will hold back telling you about my other options for stress relief till I know you better. Much, much better!_

_My dislike? I hate inconsiderate drivers. With a passion. Obviously I have a passionate nature. In more ways than one!_

_What do you look like? (A description will be fine, no photo required.)_

_X_

* * *

><p><em>Dear BeautyAndBrains,<em>

_I've been told I look like Greg from the 1990's sitcom Dharma and Greg. Without the smile, the humour, or the hippy wife. And somewhat older. In fact, I think the only thing we may have in common is a law degree.  
><em>

_Fault: I'm an over-achiever, big time._

_Pet hates: People who don't even bother trying to achieve something. Harsh, I know. I drive my team hard, but I think I drive myself harder._

_I'm really sorry to cut this short, but it's almost midnight and it's been a long day. Hope to catch you soon._

_Y (since you're X, I thought I'd be Y, seeing as I have the Y chromosome. Hmm...my jokes aren't improving yet, are they? Good night.)_

* * *

><p>The email exchanges went on for the next few weeks. Some days, Emily would exchange as many as six emails with her virtual man. Other times they might go for a few days with very little contact when she was away on a case. Suffice to say that by the time the team left for a case in New York to assist in tracking down a serial rapist six weeks later, they had gotten to know each other pretty well. The only thing she hadn't revealed was her job. Emily was particularly hesitant to do so after her experience with previous dates who were either turned off when they found out what she did for a living, or were <em>way <em>too interested in the crimes she had been involved in.

The one thing that had taken her by surprise though, was how strong a connection she felt to him. It was like they were both on the same wavelength. They were both high-achievers, confident, loyal to a fault, and completely dedicated to their jobs. Since a couple of weeks ago though, not a day went by that they didn't at the very least asked how the other's day had been and exchanged goodnights. And since two weeks ago, she had never slept better since she started at the BAU.

* * *

><p>Emily was exhausted. The team had been working almost non-stop for the last three and a half days and all she wanted to do was go to bed and sleep for a week. On second thought, she didn't even need a bed, just somewhere she could lie horizontally.<p>

She looked at her team mates. Dave and Reid were standing by the coffee pot drinking their _n_th cup of coffee for the day. Derek was talking to Pene on his cell, teasing her about something, and JJ was leaning back on her chair, eyes closed. Hotch was standing facing the window, typing something on his cell. He was using his cell for texting much more often lately, and she idly wondered if he had met someone.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up. Her heart leapt. It was a new email from _him_.

_Hey there,_

_I'm sorry, I know I've been slack with emailing you lately, am on a case so I haven't had time to spare. I was wondering if you have some sort of IM account. If so, we can text each other without needing to divulge our actual phone numbers. What do you think?_

_Y_

_p/s. I've missed seeing your cheerful emails. It's not just that – I've missed you. Is that too forward?_

* * *

><p><em>Hey back Handsome!<em>

_I love it when you're forward! I've missed you too. I'm on a hellish assignment too, it's not anywhere near resolved and I'm so over it. I just want to go home and get back to my usual routine of checking my phone every 15 minutes just in case you've emailed me *grin* Ok, I still check my phone whenever I can now, but it's hard not to be obvious. Can you tell that I'm sweet on you?_

_Yes, I'm on AIM. So if you have an account, we can have an actual conversation! Well, a text conversation, but that'll still be good._

_X_

Less than five minutes after she sent her email, she heard Hotch's voice. "Team, I think we've done enough for today. Let's head back to the hotel and get some dinner and some sleep. We can start fresh tomorrow."

Emily didn't bother hiding her grin at her supervisor's sudden pronouncement. She almost kissed him in gratitude. Talk about the stars aligning.

While she was sitting in the SUV waiting for Derek, her phone buzzed.

_IM at 9 pm DC time?_

_Y_

Her heart sped up. She was so excited that it took her two attempts to type her email.

_It's a date! Oh, and I'm Wonderwoman1012._

_X_

She drummed her fingers impatiently on her knee as she waited for his reply. It didn't take long.

_You're kidding. I have a feeling you'll laugh when you see my screen name. Talk to you soon._

_Y_

**Reviews pretty please! I'm going to be updating pretty quickly, so send those reviews to me to keep me going!**

**Don't forget to show your love and vote for your favourite fics on the CM Profiler's Choice Awards on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. Nominations due 15 October.**_  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all your reviews, especially those of you that reviewed anonymously which I couldn't reply to personally. **Here's the next installment, I think some of you would have guessed Hotch's screenname, well at least part of it. Obvious, isn't it?**  
><strong>

Superman-in-Suit: _Hi._

Wonderwoman1012: _OMG, really? Hilarious._

Superman-in-Suit: _Funny huh?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Seems we both have illusions of grandeur. Or superhero complexes, or both._

Superman-in-Suit: _Speak for yourself. I've got nothing of that sort. I'm completely normal *surreptitiously stuffing superman costume under mattress*_

Wonderwoman1012: _Good one! Hey, maybe we're twins that were separated at birth? Because that would explain why we think alike and our 97.5 percent compatibility._

Superman-in-Suit: _At the very least we should share the same biological parent._

Wonderwoman1012: _Eww, gross. Ok, let's change the subject before I freak out and have to ask my girlfriend to hack your details to make sure we're not actually related._

Superman-in-Suit: _3 things. 1, you must touch type. That was fast. 2, hacking, really? I bet the hacker I know is better than the hacker you know. 3, and most important. Girlfriend?_

Wonderwoman1012: _LOL. 1, yes, I touch type – 80 words per minute. I'm an overachiever too, remember? It used to be 95 wpm. 2, uh uh, there's absolutely NO way your hacker's better than my hacker. 3, platonic girlfriend only, so down boy!_

Superman-in-Suit: _Here I was on the verge of getting excited. _

Wonderwoman1012: _So I have a VERY important question._

Superman-in-Suit: _Shoot._

Wonderwoman1012: _That part of your profile – fantasising about using handcuffs and your baton, was that true?_

Superman-in-Suit: _It was something my well-meaning friends put in to arouse interest, so I'm afraid not. Sorry to disappoint._

Wonderwoman1012: _Well, interest wasn't all that was aroused *suggestive smile* _

Superman-in-Suit: _I think I'm blushing._

Wonderwoman1012: _You are way too adorable. How in the world have you managed to remain single?_

Superman-in-Suit: _I don't have what my son would call a smiley face._

Wonderwoman1012: _That wouldn't have stopped me. I think you just need a bit more practice. So I was thinking, if the chemistry thing happens when we meet and it's all systems go, I think that we should give at least the handcuffs a try *grin*_

Superman-in-Suit: _I'm suddenly wide awake. Um... do you think we could maybe work chocolate syrup into the scene somewhere?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Wow. Now _I'm_ awake. And you told me you were a dull, unimaginative, stick in the mud. Liar._

Superman-in-Suit: _I _am _dull and unimaginative. It's you. You make me think of things I won't normally think of. Or imagine ever saying._

Wonderwoman1012: _Really?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Really. You're a ray of sunshine in my otherwise dreary day. _

Superman-in-Suit: _Okay, I've just realised how ridiculously cheesy that sounded. John Keats I'm not._

Wonderwoman1012: _It may have been a tiny bit cheesy, but it was really sweet. Am I really? *pleased smile*_

Superman-in-Suit: _Absolutely. Whatever day I have, I always look forward to bedtime, because that's when I know for certain I'd be receiving an email from you._

Wonderwoman1012: _Well, just so you know, your emails are the highlight of my day too. And now that we're having a conversation, sort of, it's even better. Maybe we can do this more._

Superman-in-Suit: _I'd like that. So not to be banal, because I'd really like to know, but how was your day?_

Wonderwoman1012: _It sucked big time. It's a pretty bad situation we're in, my team, and we haven't come up with any solutions._

Superman-in-Suit: _I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?_

Wonderwoman1012: _ I don't think I should, I'm sorry._

Superman-in-Suit: _You're keeping your profession very close to your chest. Is it something you'll be able to tell me about one day?_

Wonderwoman1012: _I guess you must be wondering why. I've had bad experiences with men in the past when they find out what I do for a living. And for the record, it's not a criminal activity._

Superman-in-Suit: _That's a relief. For a moment there I had this picture of me arresting you on our first date. Not exactly how I envisioned it would go._

Wonderwoman1012: _Ha, you're trying to hide it, but I can tell you _so_ have a thing for handcuffs!_

Superman-in-Suit: _Seriously though, my job was something that my ex-wife had issues with while we were married. I just wanted you to know that it's not a job that's conducive to having a normal family life._

Wonderwoman1012: _Neither is mine. So either we're a match made in heaven or we'll never see __each other. Hmm...apparently my knack of finding something awkward or depressing to say on the first date hasn't failed me this time round._

Superman-in-Suit: _I didn't realise this was our first date. I would have dressed up for the occasion *smile* And how bout we worry about our work schedules not coinciding when the time comes._

Wonderwoman1012: _You're right. Mm... speaking of dressing up. Are you a t-shirt and boxer shorts kinda guy? Well, when you're not in a suit that is.  
><em>

Superman-in-Suit: _Yeah, I am, although it's t-shirt and sweats in cold weather. Pretty much 90 percent of time I'm in my suit. I need to check with my mom, but I'm pretty sure I was born in one. Let me guess, your sleeping attire consists of a tank top and shorts.  
><em>

Wonderwoman1012: _Good guess. Although you forgot to mention that the tank top and shorts I have on at the moment are very brief. And thin._

Brief pause.

Superman-in-Suit: _Sorry, I'm still here. I choked on some water._

Wonderwoman1012: _Oops, sorry!  
><em>

Superman-in-Suit: _Don't be, that image was...well, I'm not quite sure how to respond._

Wonderwoman1012: _You don't have to. That was just a PG rated teaser. We can proceed into R territory in another conversation *wink* I'm terrible, aren't I? I really shouldn't tease you so much._

Superman-in-Suit: _Don't stop on my account, I actually like it a lot. And I've really enjoyed our conversation tonight._

Wonderwoman1012: _Me too. I'm feeling like you need to sign off?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Yeah, I had a long day. But we'll talk again soon?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Can't wait. _

Superman-in-Suit: _Good night *virtual kiss on your forehead*_

Wonderwoman1012: _*virtual peck on your cheek* Good night. Sweet dreams._

Superman-in-Suit: _Going now to imagine you as a go-go dancer._

Wonderwoman1012: _You're such a joker._

Superman-in-Suit: _Yeah, my other job is as a stand-up comedian. You should catch my act sometime. _

Wonderwoman1012: _Another joke. Wow. I hate to cut you off while you're on a roll, but we need to hang up now or we never will. _

Superman-in-Suit: _Sorry. Good night._

Wonderwoman1012: _Good night. Going now to imagine carrying out kinky acts with your baton. Take that how you will *wink*_

Hotch laughed out loud when she signed off immediately after the last message. She was so funny and endearing and sounded so darn sexy that he thought he was probably already more than a little in love with her. Not a good sign.

Now he just had to work up the nerve to ask her out on a face-to-face date. Even the mere thought of that was enough to make his palms start to sweat. Given the choice he would have faced down an armed-to-the-teeth psychopath every time. He shook his head at himself. And you call yourself an alpha male.

**Hope you enjoyed that. Keep your reviews coming, guys!  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi everyone, I'll be posting the rest of the story pretty quickly now as I've just realised that I will be going on holidays for 3 weeks in about 10 days time and who knows what my internet access is like in Asia. But please do keep sending me reviews, they gladden my heart!**

**Thanks so very much for all your reviews for the last chapter, I'm sorry I haven't had the time to respond to you personally. I am stoked you enjoyed that first text conversation between them. It was great fun to write!**

**Here are the team again...  
><strong>

"Is it my imagination or did I see Hotch smile twice now in the past three days?" Pene popped an M&M into her mouth. The team was in the break room, minus Hotch and Emily, who were doing a phone consult with Miami PD in the conference room.

"He's definitely looking more relaxed," agreed JJ, reaching over for an M&M. She paused in the act of putting it in her mouth. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the odd expression on Reid's face. "Spence? What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" He tried to look like he didn't know what she was talking about. Emphasis on the 'tried'.

"You know something. What is it?"

He shook his head. "I don't think it's my place to say."

"What? You have goss and you're not telling us?" Pene turned her gaze on Derek. "What about you, sweetcakes, whatcha got for us?"

Derek flashed her his dazzlingly white smile. "Oh, nothing. Just that you all have me to thank for the boss' good mood."

"That's right, happy to share the blame, but not the credit. Why am I not surprised?" Dave rolled his eyes.

"Sorry. I mean you have us men to thank. And if that statement was too ambiguous, Reid's included."

There was a chorus of groans at Morgan's lame joke.

"Hey, I was not a willing participant," Reid said protestingly.

"For some weird reason that statement invoked a mental image of you in bondage. I think I've worked in the BAU too long," Pene said with a shudder while the rest of the team laughed. "Seriously, though, what did you guys do?" she asked Derek.

"We posted a personal ad for Hotch without his knowledge."

JJ saw Pene's jaw dropped open. She decided to aim her question at Dave. "You went behind Hotch's back? That was ballsy."

"Yeah, you know me, I've got an extra pair. Good thing too, because Strauss relieved me of mine during that last budget reporting session." Dave's tone was of dry resignation.

JJ grinned. "Payback's a bitch, huh?"

The team hooted in laughter again at her double entendre.

"So what website did you guys use?" She leaned back and took a sip of her coffee.

"What was it, Two something..." Derek squinted in thought.

"Two Hearts," interjected Reid.

JJ felt her heart thud in her chest. Her eyes met Pene's wide ones. _No way._ It couldn't be, could it? What were the chances? But even as she questioned herself, she could feel the truth of it in her bones. Hotch and Emily. How could she have not seen it before? And she called herself a profiler.

"You ladies okay?"

JJ blinked at Dave's question. It took a moment before she turned to face him. "Sure." She knew her smile was weak.

Dave raised an eyebrow. "You looked surprised. Anything you want to tell us?"

When the females remained silent, Derek spoke. "Come on, we told you what we did, it's your turn." He turned to Pene. "Baby girl, go on, spill the beans."

Pene bit her lip, looking worried. "W..well, about 10 weeks ago, JJ and I helped Em post a personal ad on that same website and it came up with a 97.5% compatibility match."

"Hotch. Shit," Derek breathed out, his turn to look shocked.

Stunned silence reverberated around the table.

"Maybe it wasn't Hotch. Maybe it was another dark-haired guy who lives in D.C., looks like Dharma's Greg, frowns a lot, works in law enforcement and has an alpha personality," babbled Pene.

"I'm not even going to ask who Dharma's Greg is," Dave murmured.

"They do have the majority of personality traits in common. Self-assured, results-driven achievers, competitive, aggressive, detail-oriented, strong work ethic. They even have the same job. Certainly there's similarities between them. Although there are some differences too. For instance, Emily has a sense of humour..."

"Ouch," laughed Derek, apparently recovered from his initial surprise. JJ couldn't say she felt the same.

"I haven't finished. Emily has a sense of humour which is more keenly displayed."

"Well, then maybe she's good for Hotch." Derek took a couple of M&Ms. "Should we tell them?"

"NO!" said Pene, emphatically. "You can all see how happy Emily is at the moment, don't spoil it for her."

"Baby girl, you think her finding out that Hotch is her online boyfriend is going to spoil it?"

"For sure! She's not going to jeopardise her professional relationship with Hotch to pursue this, even if they're made for each other. I think we should at least give them a chance."

JJ nodded. "I agree. They both need someone in their lives, and if it's meant to be, they'll sort something out work-wise. But first, Pene, how bout you do some e-digging and confirm that it's Hotch that Emily's been communicating with."

"I can do that right now." She beamed, clapping her hands excitedly. "Ohmigosh, I _always, always_ thought they were perfect for each other! It's like a dream come true!"

"Well, the good thing is, at least we know neither of them are serial killers. That's always a plus," said Dave drily.

**Ha, I love writing Rossi *grin* Let me know what you thought. Next chapter up in a couple of days.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Woo hoo! More emails between Emily and Hotch. Hope you enjoy them.**_  
><em>

_Dear BeautyAndBrains,_

_I hope you had a good weekend. I managed to actually spend the whole weekend with my son, which was really nice. On Saturday he had his soccer game and his team actually won. A small miracle in itself. 5-year-olds don't tend to follow directions all that well. I've told you that I coach his team together with a good friend of mine, right? Anyway, we took them all to have some burgers and ice-creams afterwards to celebrate. I think they enjoyed themselves, although I'm pretty sure we got a few disapproving looks from some of the parents due to the ingestion of junk food. It was worth it though to see all the kids smiling. If only I could spend my time putting smiles on kids' faces._

_So I finally tried out that that baked ravioli recipe you gave me. My son hoovered it up in no time and even asked for seconds. That turned out to be complete success, thanks for that. Do you happen to have any more recipes? _

_I've been raking my brains but I think I've pretty much told you everything I can possibly think of about my likes, dislikes, 'talents' and faults. We might literally have nothing left to talk about when we finally meet *smile* Maybe we can move on to talking about our hopes and dreams? Oh wait, there _is_ still something I haven't told you, what a miracle. I have to sleep on the right side of the bed. It's just a thing I have. So if you have to sleep on the right side too, that's it, I'm afraid. I'm going to have to end our online relationship. Either that or we're going to have to sleep in separate beds for the rest of our lives. _

_Was that too presumptuous of me?_

_Tonight I think I will drift off to sleep imagining you as a librarian, whose demure facade hides a tigress in bed. Hmm... maybe I have a future as a romance novelist, do you think?_

_Goodnight my lady. Sweet dreams._

_Your Knight in Tarnished Armour_

* * *

><p><em>My Lord StoicByNature,<em>

_I am most delighted to receive your written correspondence and to be informed that you are in good spirits. I must confess now that I have read the words that you have written, I too am in high spirits. The tale of your son and his friends gladdened my heart and I do look forward to the day when I am able to meet him. I would be more than happy to share another recipe with you. What are your thoughts on petite salmon fish cakes? They are most delicious, I can assure you._

_As for wanting to spend your time putting smiles on childrens' faces, that seems to me a most benevolent past-time. But would that mean, my lord, that you would be, God forbid, a clown? That seems most unsuited to your nature, although I mean no offence. You appear to be an excellent father and an authority on the sport of soccer, so perhaps you should prevail in those pursuits. Oh dear, I fear I am proceeding down the path of continued offence, so I will halt here._

_I am not certain if I should be discussing my preferred position in bed, that seems most scandalously inappropriate. But in the interests of getting to know each other better, I will lay your fears to rest and inform you that I prefer to sleep on the left side of the bed. There, our first 'almost' disagreement has been averted._

_I? A librarian? Surely you jest, my lord. I am blushing as I write this, but in reply to your comment of being a tigress in bed, well, you will just have to wait and see, won't you? This, of course, might very well mean that you will have to release the tight reign you have on that much vaunted control you tell me you have. How titillated I am at the thought._

_Farewell for now, my Knight in Shining Armour. I will wait with bated breath for your next missive._

_Your lady (in waiting)_

_p/s. Sexy librarian is a definite improvement on go-go dancer. But you're still ice-cold on the profession front._

_Pp/s. Sure we can talk about hopes and dreams. But I think it would be MUCH more fun to talk about sexual likes and dislikes. For instance, your preferred position *grin* Mine's with me on top. Your turn._

_Ppp/s. Don't worry, if we run out of things to talk about, we can always enact my handcuff fantasy. No need for words there!_

* * *

><p><em>Dear BeautyAndBrains,<em>

_Talk about upping the ante. I'm not really sure how well I would go if we were to talk about sex. But I'm happy to give it a go. Am at work so have to keep this short. Typing on my cell is just a pain in the backside. _

_Somehow I doubt you'll be surprised when I tell you I'm a missionary position type of guy. But that's not to say I'm not open to experimenting. Maybe even letting go of my need to be in control. Would you like to work on me? *smile*_

_I have to go, something's come up. That wasn't meant to be suggestive, despite what I know you're thinking. I think I'm starting to know you._

_Have a good day at work. Maybe we can IM tonight if I'm out of here by 9._

_Y_

_p/s. I really enjoyed your last email. Now I see why you think formality in writing is sexy._

_Pp/s. Butcher, baker, candlestick maker?_

* * *

><p><em>Dear StoicByNature,<em>

_I would never have guessed you were the missionary position type. I was thinking more doggie style. Kidding! As for your control issues, I would be more than happy to work on them *rubbing my hands in glee*_

_You never fail to make me smile, which is always a good start to any day. No to all three professions, but that was hilarious! I hope you don't mind, but I think I'll keep my profession under my hat till we meet._

_Me? Respond to a suggestive comment? Never! I'll try to be home by 9.30. IM you then._

_Have an awesome day, and try to smile at least twice!_

_X_

**We're gradually heading into M territory! Next up, a conversation between our favourite couple. Will they realise what is right under their noses or is love really blind?  
><strong>

**Reviews would be very much appreciated!**

**p/s. After writing Emily's email, I'm thinking I might write a Victorian era fic with Hotch and Emily, what do you think? LOL  
><strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**An 'actual' conversation between the duo.**

**Thank you, saturdayslump for betaing this for me. Your comments were very much appreciated and I took them all on board. You are a fantastic beta!  
><strong>

"Tea?"

"Please. Just milk, thanks." Emily waited as Hotch put a teabag into a mug and poured some hot water in, and added some milk. He handed the mug to her. "Thanks." She leaned back against counter and blew on the hot liquid, watching him fix up his coffee.

"You're looking less stressed than usual. And you're actually leaving work at a half decent hour. You haven't met someone, have you?" she asked in a half-teasing tone of voice, not really expecting him to answer. Hotch did not share his personal life with anyone.

He turned to face her, taking a sip of his coffee. As usual, his face was inscrutable. So she was surprised at his reply. "Not technically."

"Oh?" She must have looked intrigued, because he continued.

"I've been emailing someone I met online."

Emily gaped at him. "No way. You've met someone online? Wow." She shook her head, gobsmacked. "I never would have guessed you'd do anything like that in a thousand years."

Hotch gave her a chagrined look. "I didn't think I would, either."

She smiled, shaking her head. "So, who is she and what does she do?"

"I don't actually know the answers to either of those questions. She plays her cards close to her chest."

"Ah, a woman who likes to retain her mysterious allure. Sensible move. You can't be too careful nowadays."

He narrowed his eyes on her. "You sound like you know more than you're saying. Have you met anyone online?"

Emily debated whether she should say something. What the hell, it wasn't like she was ashamed of anything. "Actually, I met someone recently. Online," she added as clarification.

"But you haven't actually met him yet."

"No, I haven't. I'm sure we will at some stage, but we're having a lot of fun writing to each other for now. Well, at least I hope he's having fun." She smiled at the memory of her most recent email to Mr Y. "What about you? Are you having fun with your mystery lady?"

"Fun." Hotch uttered the word slowly, as if he was testing to see how the word would sound like coming from his mouth. A smile appeared slowly, while Emily watched fascinated at the change in her supervisor. "I'm definitely having fun. I think a huge part of it is that I can just be myself. It's not something you can do when you're trying to impress someone you meet in person for the first time."

"I know what you mean. It's freeing, isn't it? And there's no judgment."

"Yeah." They smiled, in complete agreement with each other.

"So is it serious, this relationship?" Emily watched Hotch closely.

He contemplated the question for a while. "In the past, I wouldn't have defined this as a relationship. But I think I'd venture so far as to say that this is the start of one. There's certainly a connection there. And I think she feels it too. We haven't had many deep discussions about the future or anything like that, but we seem to have the same core values and beliefs, which is comforting. What about you?"

"I really, really like him." She smiled. "It's been a long time since I've genuinely liked someone. He's polite and gentlemanly, and so sweetly formal. Poor thing, I've been trying to get him to loosen up and I think I might be starting to scare him." She laughed.

Hotch lifted his eyebrows. "Yeah, I'm starting to get that same panicked feeling."

"Oh, your lady too, huh? She sounds like a legend." Emily tilted her head, wondering if she should utter her next question. What the heck. He could just choose not to answer. "So...have you two, you know?"

Hotch frowned. "You know...what?"

"Um... how should I put it? You know... had cyber sex?"

A flush appeared on his cheeks and his gaze shifted away from hers. She bit her lip to stifle a laugh at his discomfort. She decided to take pity on him. "Never mind, you don't have to answer." Obviously the answer was a big, honking no. Why had she even asked? It was Hotch, after all. "Someone who's had personal experience told me it can be fun. And there's the added bonus that there's no pressure to perform." Good God, did she just say that to her Unit Chief?

He looked back at her, face composed in its usual lines again. "Thanks for your advice, Prentiss," he said drily.

"You're welcome, sir." She managed to keep her facial expression equally neutral.

Hotch started to head back to his office, then paused, turning back. His eyes met hers. "Just for the record, Emily, I have never suffered performance anxiety. And I doubt I ever will." The next moment he was gone.

Emily stared after him, speechless for a moment. Then she shook her head. "I never doubted that for a second, sir."

**Okay, the M rated chapter is up next. Please review if you have a moment :)**

**Don't forget to nominate your favourite fics for the CM Profilers Choice Awards on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. There can't be awards if there are no nominations!  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Finally! The M chapter many of you had been waiting for. Hope I don't disappoint. Or rather, Hotch doesn't *wink***

**Thanks again, saturdayslump, your beta skills are awesome and very, very much appreciated. Thanks also to all the anonymous reviewers whom I wasn't able to reply to personally.  
><strong>

Wonderwoman1012: _Hey there, sexy man._

Superman-in-Suit: _My lady._

Wonderwoman1012: _Be still my heart! Did you have a good day?_

Superman-in-Suit: _It was all right. To be honest, it was only the thought of our chat tonight that made it bearable._

Wonderwoman1012: _Me too. So guess what today is?_

Superman-in-Suit: _I don't know. It's not your birthday is it? Because I'd be very disappointed if I didn't get the chance to get you a gift._

Wonderwoman1012: _Aww, you're so sweet big *smile* No, three months ago to the day, was when I sent you that first email._

Superman-in-Suit: _Was that three months ago? I can't believe it's been that long. And that short. I feel like I've known you for far longer._

Wonderwoman1012: _I know. I think it's because we've exchanged over a hundred emails. _

Superman-in-Suit: _That seems unbelievable to me. I was never even the emailing type before you._

Wonderwoman1012: _No, just the report writing type *grin*_

Superman-in-Suit: _If it wasn't for you, I would never have known how versatile I really am. How dull and unfulfilled my life would have been._

Wonderwoman1012: _Whoa, was that...no, it couldn't have been._

Superman-in-Suit: _What?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Was that your sense of humour exhibiting itself again?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Maybe just for a very brief, _dry,_ spell._

Wonderwoman1012: _Ha, I told you I had awesome dusting skills._

Superman-in-Suit: _So modest too._

Wonderwoman1012: _Ooh, you're on fire tonight._

Superman-in-Suit: _Thank you *modest bow* So, are you by any chance wearing the same attire as that first time we IM'd each other?_

Wonderwoman1012: _I've suddenly perked up from my wine__-__induced drowsy state. Does this mean you're going to talk dirty to me? Please say you will, pretty please?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Okay...so I wasn't quite expecting that __a__ question I __was __asked __today __(which I now __realize__ was __incredibly __suggestive) would lead to this. I don't know__...__ I might be very bad at talking dirty._

Wonderwoman1012: _Somehow I __seriously __doubt it. Words are your craft, after all. So you've never done sexting before? _: D

Superman-in-Suit: _I've never even participated in a dirty phone call. So__,__ no, definitely no sexting. Maybe I should have read the "How to Sext for Dummies"._

Wonderwoman1012: _You remembered my first email! *punches fist in the air* Seriously though, even though it would have been kinda fun, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable._

Superman-in-Suit: _Well, I don't mind if we try..._

Wonderwoman1012: _Really?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Really. I'm actually intrigued. Just don't laugh if I'm a bit awkward._

Wonderwoman1012: _Don't worry, I promise to be gentle. *wink*_

Superman-in-Suit: _So...what you're wearing?_

Wonderwoman1012: _LOL, are you sure you've done this before?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Now I'm embarrassed._

Wonderwoman1012: _I'm sorry. *grin* All I'm wearing are some panties. Burgundy lace panties with a white ribbon threaded through the waistband._

Long pause.

Superman-in-Suit: *_exhaling* I just had a sudden image of you. Well, __how__ I __imagine__ you looking, any__way__._

Wonderwoman1012: _Am I sexy?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Unbelievably sexy__._

Wonderwoman1012: _I'm lying on the bed, the a/c blowing cool air __across__ my body. I should be __cooling down, but I'm not. I can't because I'm hot for you. For your touch. _

Superman-in-Suit: _I wish I was there with you._

Wonderwoman1012: _And if you were, what would you do?_

Superman-in-Suit: _First__,__ I would kiss you, very slowly, __very __thoroughly. As if we had all the time in the world._

Wonderwoman1012: _Mmm...I love the sound of that._

Superman-in-Suit: _Then I would take your clothes off and turn you over to lie on your stomach. I'd press kisses all over your back and down your arms, slowly moving down over your hips__, across your__ thighs__,__ and __down your __calves._

Wonderwoman1012: *_groan* __Don't stop. __Please._

Superman-in-Suit: _Then I'd turn you over and kiss you from head to toe, paying special attention to your breasts. Are you touching yourself?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Yes._

Superman-in-Suit: _Tell me how you feel._

Wonderwoman1012: _I feel so good. I'm tingling all over, especially where my hand is. I'm stroking myself, imagining that it's your hand on me._

Superman-in-Suit: _That's right; my hand is on you, my fingers gently touching your wet heat. Are you wet?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Very wet._

Superman-in-Suit: _I'm sliding my middle finger into you. You feel so soft and slick, clinging tightly to my finger. I start to stroke my finger in and out and I hear you moan your encouragement. I add another finger, and as I thrust my fingers into you, I press the heel of my hand on your sensitive point. At first, my strokes are slow and gentle. Then they become faster and harder, almost rough. __I push you h__igher and higher until, suddenly, you explode in my arms. As you come back down to earth, I give you another gentle kiss._

Very long pause.

Superman-in-Suit: _Are you still there?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Whew. Yeah._

Superman-in-Suit: _Was that...ok?_

Wonderwoman1012: _It was more than ok. You were incredible. Thanks for the stress relief._

Superman-in-Suit: _You mean you..._

Wonderwoman1012: _Mm__mmmm__...I sure did. That was the point, wasn't it?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Yes, but to be honest, I didn't really think I could carry it off._

Wonderwoman1012: _Oh, honey, trust me, you definitely carried me off. I have the biggest smile on my face right now._

Superman-in-Suit: _I don't know what to say. You seem to have that effect on me *smile*_

Wonderwoman1012: _You could have fooled me! So, is it my turn?_

Superman-in-Suit: _You don't have to. Really._

Wonderwoman1012: _I want to. Unless you don't want me to?_

Superman-in-Suit: _I won't lie, I'm __incredibly __tempted, but I don't know if I can go through with it. I guess I still need to work on my inhibitions. Sorry._

Wonderwoman1012: _There's absolutely nothing to be sorry about. So can you tell me when it was that you last masturbated?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Wow. You certainly don't beat around the bush. Uh, can I take the 5__th__?_

Wonderwoman1012: _No, you can't take the 5__th__!_

Superman-in-Suit: _In that case, it's been a while. Months. And I can't believe we're talking about this._

Wonderwoman1012: _This isn't usually a topic of conversation for you? *grin* So I assume your speciality isn't sex crimes, then?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Well, it's all types of crimes, but my sex life isn't a topic of conversation._

Wonderwoman1012: _Nor is your personal life._

Superman-in-Suit: _That's insightful. You're not a psychiatrist are you?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Nope, but good try._

Superman-in-Suit: _And I thought you weren't the coy type *smiling*_

Wonderwoman1012: _I gotta keep you interested somehow, right? I'm sorry, I'm exhausted. And super sleepy, especially after that little activity. Would you mind if we IM again another time?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Of course not. _

Wonderwoman1012: _And maybe you'd let me return the favour then?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Maybe._

Wonderwoman1012: _Ooh, who's being coy now?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Good night Ms. Impertinent._

Wonderwoman1012: _Good night Mr. My-Hidden-Talent-is-Sexting._

Superman-in-Suit: _Is it technically sexting if we're IM'ing?_

Wonderwoman1012: _You really weren't kidding about being a lawyer._

Superman-in-Suit: _Good night *pointedly*_

Wonderwoman1012: *_grin* Good night._

**There're three more chapters to go, and if we can get to 300 reviews, that reviewer gets a oneshot from me! Any prompt. So review, review, review!**_  
><em>


	13. Chapter 13

**I've had a number of responses expressing disappointment that this fic will end soon. So here's a bonus chapter that wasn't included in my original. Just as a thank you for all your reviews. My apologies that I have not had the time to reply to you personally as I am posting so quickly.  
><strong>

Wonderwoman1012: _Well, fancy meeting you here *smile* What are you doing?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Nothing. What are you doing?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Nothin'. What are _you_ doing?_

Superman-in-Suit: _*grin*_ _Wondering why we're acting like teenagers._

Wonderwoman1012: _LOL. I can't say I ever had _this _much fun when I was a teen *wicked smile* I doubt you did either._

Superman-in-Suit: _Hey. I could have been a child prodigy._

Wonderwoman1012: _A child prodigy at sexting? I would say that is so wrong on so many levels except for the fact we didn't have IM when we were teenagers._

Superman-in-Suit: _That's probably a good thing. I'm a fully grown man and you're wreaking havoc with my normally unruffled composure, those poor hormone-ridden boys wouldn't have stood a chance if you were IM'ing them._

Wonderwoman1012: _Do I really wreak havoc on you? *Cheshire cat smile*_

Superman-in-Suit: _You're definitely making it more difficult to hide the fact that I'm now dependent on my cell. I think my team thinks I have a cell phone fixation seeing that I check it every chance I get. _

Wonderwoman1012: _I know exactly how you feel. It's like I'm a drug addict and receiving your email is a fix. Have I got it bad._

Superman-in-Suit: _I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. I'm glad you've 'got it bad', because I feel the same way. _

Wonderwoman1012: _*huge smile* So how's your week been going?_

Superman-in-Suit: _It was all right, nothing exciting to report. Solved a couple of cases which didn't involve me having to travel, and that's always good. I've been managing to tuck my son in bed a bit more recently, and I have you to thank for that._

Wonderwoman1012: _Oh? How's that?_

Superman-in-Suit: _I've just been thinking about the possibility that you could be in our lives in the near future. That brought up thoughts of being a family again and I guess I was trying to prove that even though it's just my son and I, we're still a family and I've been trying to spend more time with him. The constant guilt of being a single parent, I guess._

Superman-in-Suit: _Damn. Sorry, I didn't mean to put any pressure on you and imply that you'll be part of our family. I should have read that last statement before pressing enter._

Wonderwoman1012: _Please don't apologise. I don't know how our physical chemistry will be like when we meet, but you know what, this cyber relationship I have with you is deeper than most of the __normal relationships I have had. And if we do hit it off, I would be very much open to exploring the possibility of a permanent relationship. _

Wonderwoman1012: _Wow. We're really hitting the heavy topics tonight, huh? Maybe we're being a bit premature, we haven't even met yet._

Superman-in-Suit: _I'm glad we're talking about this topic, heavy though it is. It's good to know we're on the same page. And as for meeting, maybe it's something we can discuss soon? If you're ready._

Wonderwoman1012: _Are you?_

Superman-in-Suit: _ I think I could be. Although I have to admit the thought of it is making my hands sweat like a teenager on his first date._

Wonderwoman1012: _I can't imagine you ever being nervous *smile*_

Superman-in-Suit: _Trust me, you arouse all sorts of unusual emotions in me. _

Wonderwoman1012: _Hmm...let's hope that I arouse more than emotions in you when we meet!_

Superman-in-Suit: _I think I can safely say that the only way you would turn me off would be to wear a nun's habit. I was in a Catholic boys school in my youth._

Wonderwoman1012: _*mental note* Don't wear nun's habit on meeting day *grin*_

Superman-in-Suit: _Please tell me you're not a nun. Because otherwise my soul is pretty much toast._

Wonderwoman1012: _Yeah, still cold on the profession front. I deal with much worse sinners than most nuns, trust me._

Superman-in-Suit: _You, my lady, are a tease._

Wonderwoman1012: _And you, dear sir, need to let me have my beauty sleep. I'm going interstate tomorrow and have an early start. IM when I get back?_

Superman-in-Suit: _Sure. Looking forward to it._

Wonderwoman1012: _Well, good night then._

Superman-in-Suit: _Sweet dreams. Good night._

Pause.

Wonderwoman1012: _Why haven't you hung up?_

Superman-in-Suit: _I was waiting for you. You hang up first._

Wonderwoman1012: _No, _you_ hang up first._

Superman-in-Suit: _No, you *smile*_

Wonderwoman1012: _*laughing* No, you._

Superman-in-Suit: _Okay, in the interests of conserving time, how about we hang up together?_

Wonderwoman1012: _Oh, you're such a spoilsport *pout* I was really getting into the whole teenage texting scenario._

Superman-in-Suit: _I could tell. All right, so let's hang up together. One, two, three._

Pause.

Superman-in-Suit: _You're still online._

Wonderwoman1012: _So are you._

Superman-in-Suit: _You're incorrigible._

Wonderwoman1012: _And sexy._

Superman-in-Suit: _And sexy._

Wonderwoman1012: _And funny._

Superman-in-Suit: _Amazingly funny. _

Wonderwoman1012: _ And smart._

Superman-in-Suit: _Super smart. I could keep going, but aren't you having an early start?_

Wonderwoman1012: _ *sigh* Yes, I should, even though I'm loving this flattery session._

Superman-in-Suit: _I promise there'll be more of those._

Wonderwoman1012: _You sure do know the way into a lady's heart._

Superman-in-Suit: _I'm only interested in one particular lady – you. Now go to bed. I'll email you tomorrow._

Wonderwoman1012: _Can't wait. Good night._

Superman-in-Suit: _Good night._

**Hope you enjoyed that. Send me a review if you have a moment to spare. More up in a couple of days.**_  
><em>


	14. Chapter 14

**Another M chapter...enjoy!**

**Thanks again saturdayslump, you awesome beta, you! Thanks so very much to all of you for reviewing, again, I have had no time to respond individually, so my apologies for that. I am beyond amazed at the reception this fic has been getting. I hope I continue to put a smile on all your beautiful faces :)  
><strong>

Hotch smiled to himself when he heard his cell vibrate on his desk. It was almost embarrassing how eager he was for her next email. He was worse than a child on Christmas morning. He checked the screen, and sure enough, it was her. He leant back on his chair, thinking vaguely that he really should wait until he had a spare moment, but everything seemed to be happening all at once and both Emily and JJ were away presenting at a conference in Seattle.

_Dear StoicByNature,_

_I'm going __out of town for a __conference for a few days and I'll probably be quite busy so I thought I'd send you a little something so you don't miss me too much while I'm away._

Hotch paused. Something was niggling at him. Emily was going to a conference. Could she be the person he had been corresponding with? He thought for a moment. No, surely Dave would have told him something that important if it were true. He was sure Dave and Morgan had already asked Garcia to find out whom his online female counterpart was. They would not have been able to help themselves. Hotch shook his head and went back to reading the email, his eyes widening as he read on.

_Imagine that we are strangers seated together on a long haul flight. It is late at night and the cabin lights are off. It is dark and dim and intimate. You and I are the only people in business class. Your eyes are closed and you have just started to drift off to sleep when you feel my hand rest on your thigh. Your eyes fly open and you see that I am sitting on the edge of your reclined seat. You open your mouth to ask me what I am doing but I lean down and press my lips to yours, silencing you. I smile inwardly when I soon feel you pressing your lips against mine. I run my tongue over the seam of your lips and you part them, allowing me to slip my tongue into your mouth. A shiver travels down my spine when I feel you stroke my tongue with yours. _

_Without taking my mouth from yours, I reach down and unbuckle your belt, then unbutton and unzip your cargo pants. Your fingers entwine themselves into my hair and you draw me closer, increasing the pressure of your lips against mine. I tug your pants and briefs down and then my hand is closing around you. I am gratified to feel that you are already immensely aroused as you strain urgently in my hand. You suck my lower lip, biting gently down on it while I stroke my hand down your iron hard erection. Clasping you firmly, I start to pump my hand up and down firmly, gradually increasing the speed. Our kisses become increasingly more desperate and I can feel you start to lift your hips towards me on every downward stroke. Breaking the intensity for a moment, I draw my hand back up to the crown of your hard shaft, circling it gently with my fingertips, then down to the sensitive area just underneath. Back up again, and I can feel the liquid drops that you are now emitting. Gathering some of on my fingertips, I pull away from your lips and touch my fingers to my tongue, tasting your essence while you look on, passion burning intensely in your dark eyes._

_I hear you emit a low growl and you suddenly surge upwards, your warm hands cupping my arms and pushing me back so that I am forced to release you. In one swift move, you put your hands on my waist and lift me onto your lap, my peasant skirt billowing out around my legs and yours. Stunned at the speed at which you moved, I am still and soon, your lips are on mine again. As our tongues tangle, I feel your hands slip under my cotton top, trailing along my bare skin just above the waistband of my skirt._

_The carnality in our kiss astounds me and you pull away again, this time so that you can push up my top and camisole, baring me before your gaze. You lean forward and take my right nipple into your mouth, suckling strongly. A jolt of sensation shoots through me and I moan softly, dropping my head back. When you move your attention to my other breast, I grind down against your steely hardness, moaning as waves of pleasure emit from the apex of my thighs. I can feel the dampness in my panties. I need you so badly now, my body is crying out for you._

_You tell me to lift yourself up and I do so, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. You slide your hand under my skirt and slip your fingers into my thong. I bite my bottom lip hard to stop myself from crying out when I feel you glide a finger over my swollen bud, then travel further back into my slick heat. I reach out blindly and brace my hands on your shoulders, digging my fingers hard into you. Your finger returns back to my throbbing nub and strokes me there gently. It only takes a few moments before I explode from your talented ministrations and I cry out softly._

_Before I realise what you have done, I am on my back under you and you are crouched over me, staring at me with intense eyes. Hold on, you tell me, your voice low and harsh with passion. You lift up my legs and you thrust yourself into me. My back arches at the blinding flash of pleasure/pain that results as I struggle to accommodate you within me. You draw back and thrust again, slowly and relentlessly pushing forward until your whole length is completely enclosed within my heated core. You breathe out an apology because you can't wait and then you begin thrusting hard and fast. I lift my legs, twining them around your hips, hearing the breath rushing out of your mouth on every forward thrust. Faster and faster you move until you suddenly become completely still. Deep within I feel your shaft pulse your release into me, your body shuddering over me, your arms trembling with tension. You collapse next to me and I turn and press my face into your shoulder. Resting my hand on your chest, I feel the accelerated beat of your heart thudding against my palm. _

_We fall asleep, lulled by the quiet roar of the engines._

_I hope you enjoyed that. *smile*_

_I'll email you when I can. Have a wonderful day._

_X_

_p/s. That _was_ a kiss._

_Pp/s. Oops, I should have told you that this is _not_ work safe and you should wait until you get home to read it so you can you know, do other things with it *suggestive wink*_

Hotch vaguely heard a sound in the distance.

"Hotch? _Hotch._"

He suddenly surfaced at the sound of Dave's emphatic voice. He quickly looked up and saw Dave and Reid standing just inside the door to his office, looking at him quizzically. Shit. He pulled open his top drawer and dropped his cell into it, using the time to gather himself. Unfortunately he could do nothing about his hard on.

Fortunately, he was behind his desk.

_Unfortunately_ his subordinates were profilers.

"You having a hot flash, Hotch?"

Hotch narrowed his eyes at the glint of amusement in Dave's eyes. "I'm fine."

"You do look flushed, sir. And you're perspiring, even though it's quite cool in here. Also, your pulse is beating rapidly in your neck. Are you sure you're all right, sir?"

Dave didn't even bother to hide his enjoyment of the situation. It was doubly unfortunate that, because he was currently down two profilers, Hotch couldn't shoot them both.

"I said I'm fine." Hotch's voice was hard.

Reid got the message and put his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels, smiling awkwardly.

"What was it you came to see me about?"

Ten minutes later, Reid and Dave had finished reporting to him on their profile for the San Francisco Police Department. Reid exited the office and Dave started to follow him, then stopped short at the doorway.

"What is it, Dave?" asked Hotch, resigned.

"You might want to check your emails in the restroom next time. You know, in a stall. Behind a locked door. Just sayin'," with a wink, he left.

Hotch shook his head. Bloody Dave I-need-to-have-the-last-word Rossi.

_Dear BeautyAndBrains,_

_That was, hands down, the best email you've sent me. Well, the most exciting one, in any case. I don't think my heart's recovered yet. My brain damn sure hasn't. I've never received anything like th__at__ before, and __it__ was wow. Words fail me. You were incredible._

_So I pretty much got caught out by my colleagues, luckily not with my hand down my pants, but that was embarrassing enough. Just a suggestion that you post your warning in the beginning of your email next time? Because I'm really hoping there will be a next time. Sorry, I'm rambling because my mind's still blown away from your last email and I haven't recovered yet. _

_I have a question for you. Are you ready to meet me in person? I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and it's totally fine if you tell me you're not ready, but if you are, I would very much like to see you. So let me know._

_I hope you're having a good trip._

_Take care,_

_Y_

* * *

><p>Emily smiled as she read his email. It had taken multiple glasses of wine to drum up the courage to press send after typing up that last email. She was relieved that he appeared to have enjoyed it so much. He wanted to meet her. It wasn't unexpected, and yet she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach at the thought of finally seeing him in person. She imagined what he'd look like and how they would react to one another when they first met. For some reason, an image of Hotch suddenly appeared in her mind's eye. She blinked, perplexed. Why had that happened? Was her brain trying to tell her something? She suddenly caught sight of the time, shook her head at the turn her imagination had taken, and hurriedly pressed reply on her cell.<p>

_Hi there Handsome,_

_Suprisingly,__ I am having a good time. But I'm also looking forward to __coming__ home. I miss my bed, and of course, I miss IM'ing you from there. *grin* _

_I'm sorry you were caught out, oops! I promise I'll put a 'non-work safe' heading next time. I'm so glad you liked that last email. That was the raunchiest email I've ever written and I can't quite believe I actually did it. *blushing*_

_So you want to meet in person? I have to admit the thought makes me more than a little nervous, but I don't think that will ever change, so let's do it. Meet, I mean, not sexual intercourse. Definitely no sexual intercourse on the first date._

_Ha, who's rambling now? I gotta go, meeting some people for dinner. Let's talk about when and where when I get back to DC._

_Hope you and your son are well._

_X_

**Hope you enjoyed that. If you did, let me know! Next chapter is what you've all been waiting for, the MEETING! **_  
><em>


	15. Chapter 15

**Here it is, the chapter you've been waiting for. I'm posting it a day earlier than I planned as I'll be travelling tomorrow.  
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**Thanks saturdayslump, as always, for your awesome beta skills.  
><strong>

Emily took a seat at the bar. It was a seat with the best vantage point of the entrance to the restaurant. It was still half an hour before the time they had promised to meet. Her plan was to check out every guy that walked through the door who might fit the description of the man she was thinking may well be her soul mate. The way that they were so in tune with each other was almost scary. Like that night when he had emailed her even though she knew he was in the middle of an urgent case, asking if she was all right. He'd seemed to just know she wasn't ok, and knowing that he was concerned had immediately soothed her, giving her a measure of peace to deal with the horrible facts of the case the team had been called to consult on.

He was going to be wearing a beige coloured suit. That was the best he could come up with, he said, besides wearing a stetson. She told him she was disappointed. She had always wanted to date a cowboy. He had replied by saying that if all went well, they could add that to the ever growing list of fantasies. He asked if she was sure they didn't accidentally get themselves posted on a website for sex hookups, seeing how far they had now ventured into sex talk territory. She had pretended to gasp in horror, saying, this isn't the adult matchmaker website? They had shared a laugh and their conversation had ended with her promising that she would wear a white corsage on her left wrist. It was a little old-fashioned, but it seemed oddly appropriate for their first meeting. The corsage was in her purse at the moment. She'd put it on a bit closer to the time.

She was so focused on the door that she didn't notice someone sit next to her.

"Emily?"

She jumped at the sound of a familiar voice. She turned and found her supervisor sitting on her right. "Hotch? What are you going here?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm meeting someone for a drink." His dark eyes met hers, "What about you?"

"Yeah, me too."

The bartender came up to them. "I'll have a scotch on the rocks. Emily?"

"I'll have your house white, please."

"So who are you meeting? Someone special?" He nodded at her attire. She was wearing a black dress that bared her shoulders and clung lovingly to her every curve before ending just above the knee. Or, it would if she was standing. At the moment, it was sitting just short of mid-thigh.

She cleared her throat and tried to discreetly pull the hem of her skirt down. She didn't want Hotch to think she was trying to randomly pick up guys in a bar. A..wkward. "Just a date."

His eyes narrowed. Damn it. Why couldn't she have a normal job where her boss couldn't read her like she was an open book. "Are you finally meeting that guy you've been corresponding with?"

There didn't seem any point denying it. "Yes, and if you're about to ask me how he looks like, I'm not telling you."

He frowned. "Why not?"

"Because you're going to profile him in the space of time it would take for him to walk through the doors and up to me. So forget it."

"He means that much to you?"

She bit her lip. "Yes, he does."

Hotch nodded. "In that case, I won't ask."

"Wait, tell me you're not meeting your lady friend tonight." She had finally noticed that he was wearing an open necked white shirt with some light coloured pants. It was hard to tell in the yellow light over the bar area. But he looked really good. Casual and relaxed, his short hair falling ever so slightly over his forehead. And he smelt good too. He was wearing a new cologne she had never noticed on him before. He was definitely dressed to impress. _She_ was definitely impressed.

"This seemed like a good place to meet. It's public so it's safer, and there's always food and drinks if we can't find enough to talk about. Not that I think that will be a problem for us." He looked around, appearing to be taking in the several people seated at the bar and the half full tables beyond them. Emily had decided on this place as it was a little out of the city, so at least she didn't have to worry about bumping into someone she knew. So much for that.

"Let's make a pact. I promise not to say anything at all about what I think of your friend, if you do the same."

Hotch's eyebrows rose fractionally and he nodded in agreement, "I guess that's fair."

Their drinks arrived and Emily opened her purse to pay. Hotch's hand came down on hers. "I'll take care of – "

She looked up at him, wondering why he had stopped mid-sentence. For a split second she thought maybe he had caught sight of his date. But no. In fact, he was staring at her open purse, lips parted. More specifically, he seemed to be staring at her corsage.

Emily gave an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, that's just what I told my date I – "

"Would wear tonight," he interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. His voice was quiet and his words emerged slowly and carefully measured.

She was starting to feel concerned by the odd look on his face, when he slowly turned to face her. She stared, confused at the burning intensity in his gaze as he focussed his eyes on hers. "Hotch, you're freaking me out. Why are you looking at me like that? What's wrong?"

He was silent, long enough that she felt her whole body start to tense. Then, "I'm the person you're supposed to meet tonight."

Emily opened her mouth, but nothing came out. No, that wasn't possible. She shook her head in disbelief.

His hand, which was still resting on top of hers, settled fully on her, enfolding her hand in a warm clasp. A sudden shiver travelled through her. His eyes never moved or blinked. "Emily, I'm the person you're looking for." His deep voice seemed to reverberate straight through her.

She blinked at him, feeling like she was in a dream. "B..but you're supposed to be wearing a beige suit."

His mouth twitched at her incongruous answer. "I am." He inclined his head and she looked down to see his suit jacket sitting on the other side of him on the counter. She supposed it could be beige.

"I...um...I..." She knew she was stammering. Her brain was spinning. _Oh my God!_ The person she had been emailing all this time was Hotch? What the hell was she going to do? It was Hotch! He was her boss! And she had practically had sex with him! Wait, did cyber sex count? At the memory of her last R-rated email to him, she felt a wave of heat travel up her chest and over her face. She prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

"I never thought I'd see my smart-mouthed online partner at a loss for words." His voice was gentle, as if he could sense that she was about to jump off the barstool and take off at any second.

She opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when she felt his thumb start to stroke the back of her hand. She shook her head again. "How come you're not in shock like I am?"

He smiled crookedly and she felt something shift in her chest. "Trust me, I am. But I admit I did think for just a second that it might have been you. I guess I'm more relieved than anything else. The person whom I've been corresponding with is someone I actually know. It all makes sense now. Why after only the second email I felt that I had a connection with you. It just felt too easy to talk to you, to reveal things to you I never intended. And most of all, it explains why I seem to know when you're feeling down. Did you feel any of those things?" His thumb never paused.

"Yes, all of those things. More," she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from his magnetic gaze. "Hotch, what...what are we going to do?"

He looked at her solemnly. "I think we owe it to ourselves to give this a chance, don't you think? After everything we've shared with each other?"

She bit her lip, her mind whirling. She wanted so much to agree. But the rational part of her brain was reminding her about her job – their jobs. "I don't know, Hotch."

"Forget about the BAU for a moment. Do you want to be with me, Emily?" She felt as if he could see straight through to her soul.

She couldn't deny him. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Then be with me. We'll work it out, I promise."

She looked uncertainly at him.

"Trust me, Emily." She stared at him when he drew her hand up and pressed a kiss against her fingers. His breath wafted over her skin and she trembled. "Trust me." His voice was deep and compelling and there was no escape from his eyes.

"I do." Her breath caught at the blaze of joy in his eyes. He cared that much for her? Could her soul mate have been next to her for all this time and she never even realised?

Hotch smiled, the warmth in it wrapping around her heart, vanishing any reservations she had left. "You told JJ and Garcia you were meeting me tonight, right?"

"Uh huh. And you told the guys." It wasn't a question.

"Yep. In which case, I'm pretty sure that they've been watching us the entire time through that camera above the bar."

She laughed ruefully. "Of course they have." She was too happy to care.

His eyes twinkled at her. "Well, how bout we give them a little something they weren't expecting."

Emily grinned when he told her his idea.

And then his expression sobered and she could only sit there motionless, their gazes locked together as he lifted her hand and pressed a soft kiss to the palm of her hand. She trembled at the brush of his lips against her skin. Dear Lord, she thought vaguely, if this was what she was feeling after a mere kiss on her hand, she was in deep, deep trouble.

* * *

><p>"EEEEEK!"<p>

Derek winced at Pene's ear-splitting shriek. The whole team was crowded around her computer screen, enthralled by the scene before them.

"Ohmigod, Hotch is kissing Emily's hand! His lips are actually touching her!"

"Yes, baby girl, we can see that. And from that look in his eyes, that's not all that's going to be touching tonight." Derek smiled smugly, chest puffed out with self-satisfaction. None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for him. It was official: he was the love god.

"Wait, what did Hotch just take out of his jacket?" asked JJ, peering closely at the screen.

Reid looked at Derek, frowning. "Hang on, I thought you made up the part about Hotch fantasising about using his handcuffs."

"I did!" Derek's mouth fell open. It couldn't be. No freaking way Hotch would...

They stared in shock as Emily took the handcuffs from Hotch and, smiling wickedly at him, dropped them in her purse before they both walked out of view, hand in hand.

It was a full minute before anyone recovered enough to speak.

"Well, thanks Morgan, you jackass. I think it's safe to say I'll never be able to look Hotch in the eye again whenever he cuffs a suspect." At those words, Dave strode out of the room.

**I really hope I didn't disappoint you! I've been very worried about this chapter. Let me know what you thought.**


	16. Chapter 16

**After the meeting...**

****Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews, and thanks for following this fic, you have all been so amazing and kind with your comments. I hope this fic has brightened up your days just a little bit.**  
><strong>

Hotch and Emily walked out into the balmy summer evening. He looked at the woman strolling casually next to him, appearing to be completely unconcerned with what may be lying ahead. He too, was hiding the nervous anxiety as well as the exhilaration he was currently feeling. He smothered a smile. They were both so good at hiding their emotions, yet another characteristic they had in common. Maybe there was something to the matchmaking site, after all.

"Would you like to have dinner? Because there's a great little Mexican place just on the next block."

She smiled up at him. "That sounds great, I'm starving."

Less than five minutes later, they were seated in the homely little restaurant, if you could call it that. The place only held six tables and their waitress was a teenage girl who looked like the daughter in the family run establishment. She gave them their menus and waited for their drinks order.

Hotch opened his menu. "I think I'll start with a Corona. Emily? What would you like? A margarita?" That was a girly drink, right?

"Wow, are you trying to get me drunk already?" She gave him a teasing smile. He felt his cheeks heat and saw her smile widen. Well, two can play at this game.

"No, just trying to loosen your inhibitions so that we can try out the handcuffs later."

"Hotch!" gasped Emily, laughing in embarrassment. "Yes, I'll have a margarita," she told their waitress who fled as soon as the words were out of Emily's mouth. Her eyes met his. "I cannot believe you said that in front of the poor girl."

He shook his head at himself. "You're right, that was bad form. I really wasn't kidding when I told you that you make me say things that I normally won't say. It's like that censor in my brain decides to take a little grandma nap when I talk to you."

"I have to admit I can't quite believe some of the conversations we've had," she admitted, looking shyly embarrassed.

He reached across the table and slid his hand under hers, wanting to put her at ease even though he was feeling somewhat embarrassed himself. He had had cyber sex with Emily Prentiss. He really didn't want to think about the effect that would have on his professional relationship with her. Not right now, in any case. He just wanted to enjoy this time he had with her. Her soft palm resting on him but when he moved his fingers he could feel the callouses on her web next to her thumb and on her middle finger, the exact spots where his were. He felt a warmth in his chest at the reminder of yet another similarity between them. His fingers tightened around her hand and he smiled. "We've had some risque conversations, haven't we?"

"That's one way to put it." A delicate blush coloured her cheeks and she did that half lick, half bite of her lower lip that immediately made lightning heat shoot to his groin. Damn, if that action alone made him feel this level of arousal, he was in deep shit.

"Are you regretting them now that you know it was me you were talking to?" He held his breath while she looked upon him, dark eyes solemn.

"No," she finally replied.

"Neither do I." He reluctantly released her hand when they drinks arrived.

Their waitress asked them what they wanted for dinner and Hotch ordered the mole casero while Emily decided upon the seafood chimichanga.

After their waitress left, Emily took a sip of her margarita, shooting him a knowing look from under her long lashes.

He felt his mouth twitch as the glint in her eyes. "What?"

"I just knew you were going to order something healthy."

"It so happens I like the grilled chicken with the mole sauce. And I knew you were going to order the deep fried seafood delight."

"Oh ho, you're profiling me already?" she retorted laughingly.

"No, I just know from having had many meals with you, that you have a weakness for deep fried food." He took a couple of pulls from his Corona.

"I am so glad that you told me you have a weakness for Hershey kisses. Because you eat the least amount of junk among all of us. Like that time we had a consult in that little town near the border of Mexico? We were all practically inhaling our huge, greasy hamburgers after not eating for 24 hours and there you were, eating your tuna salad on rye." She shook her at the memory.

"Abstinence is good for the soul."

"Mmm...your body too, in your case." She winked at him.

He felt a grin break out. "Emily Prentiss, did you just make a pass at me?"

"That depends," she said, biting her lip. "Did you want me to?"

He heard his voice deepen as he answered. "Absolutely."

She gifted him with a wide smile. "Well, in that case, how about I tell you that you look amazingly hot tonight." She shook her head, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "I cannot believe I just said that to my supervisor."

"Hey, tonight, I'm not your supervisor. We're just two people who are getting to know each other a bit more. And I have to say that you look incredibly beautiful. That dress..." Words failed him as his gaze travelled downwards and was held captive by the sight of her generous cleavage. He had to forcibly drag his eyes back up to her face.

"I take it you liked what you saw." Her voice was lightly teasing, but he could see that she was not unaffected by the colour in her cheeks.

"I liked what I saw." He paused, debating whether he should continue voicing his train of thought. The beginnings of a pleased smile on her face helped him make up his mind. "In fact, if I liked you any more, I'll have to sling you over my shoulder and take you out of here so I can show you properly."

"Wow." She stared at him, his revealing words apparently stunning her into silence.

"There you go again, making me say things I normally won't say." He looked carefully at her, trying to gauge her reaction. "Was too much too soon?"

"Please don't apologise. You did surprise me, but I liked it." She smiled at him. "In fact, I have to say, I kinda like that idea."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows. "You like the idea of me acting like a caveman, huh?"

"I must admit I like the idea of you being the one in control and acting like the alpha male that you are. It sends shivers down my spine," she said softly.

He hadn't missed the tentative note in her voice. "You don't have to be shy with me, Emily. It's me, Hotch. We've known each other a long time. You know you can say anything to me."

"I know. I just never imagined I'd be saying anything of a sexually suggestive nature to _you_," she moaned complainingly.

"So this is probably not the time to tell you that the email you sent me was the most incredible piece of writing I've ever read."

She grinned, blushing slightly. "You liked it? Really?"

"I could repeat my line about liking it so much I have to take you out of here, but that's going to get old very quickly. It was mind-blowing."

"So who caught you out?" She took a few sips of her drink and he followed her lead.

"Dave and Reid."

She burst out laughing. "Oh no! Did Reid catalogue your physical reactions?"

"Oh yeah," he replied drily. "Perspiration, pulse rate, flushed skin, the lot."

Emily shook her head. "I cannot believe they knew and didn't tell us."

"I know. I think they wanted to give us a chance to see if there is a possibility of a relationship without having to worry about things like anti-fraternisation rules."

She frowned slightly. "You must be concerned about that, surely. I won't believe you if you said you weren't."

He thought about it for a few moments before answering. "I'm more worried about the effect us being in a relationship would have on our team. And I can see all the arguments against it, as I'm sure you can. If we had never communicated via all those emails and IM's, I would never have even considered doing anything of this sort. But we did communicate and I learnt so much about you and feel such a connection to you now that I don't want to give up on us before we even give ourselves the opportunity to explore whether we can have a future together." He looked deeply into her eyes. "Tell me honestly, do you want to give it a go? And it's okay if you don't. I'll understand and I promise we can go back to the professional relationship we always had."

She stared at him for a long moment. "I want to give us a chance." Her voice was soft, but strong.

Hotch felt the tension drain out of his shoulders which he hadn't even realised had been there. "I'm glad," he replied simply, smiling at her.

* * *

><p>Their food soon arrived and they spent the rest of the evening laughing about the things they had learnt about each other, as well as at the fact that neither one of them had picked up on the many clues that had been right there in front of them. Before they knew it, the waitress had come over with their bill. Emily glanced at her watch, surprised to find that it was well after 11 .<p>

After paying, Hotch walked her to her car, startling her when he took her hand in his. She looked up at his profile, still in partial disbelief that she had just spent an evening with her Unit Chief. And that they were now walking together, hand in hand. She shook her head at the unexpectedness of their current situation. And yet she couldn't deny that it all felt so comfortable, so right, somehow.

"Everything all right?" Hotch looked down at her, concern in his eyes.

She nodded. "Perfect."

At her reply, his eyes darkened and his hand tightened around hers. He didn't let go until he got to her car. Heart thudding hard in her chest, she opened the door and put her handbag in, then turned to face him. He looked down at her, face set in its usual inscrutable lines.

And then he spoke the sweetest words she had ever heard. "May I kiss you good night?"

No one had ever asked her for permission before. But this was Hotch, a gentleman through and through. Her breath caught in her throat when she recognised the look in his eyes. This supremely confident man in whom she had never even seen hesitate was nervous? Her chest tightened at the thought that she was that important to him. "I'd like that very much," she whispered quickly, before she too, was overcome by nerves.

He looked solemnly at her for a long moment, and then took a step towards her. Eyes locked with hers, he gradually bent his head until his lips finally touched hers. His kiss was unhesitatingly firm, careful, thorough, methodical. Just like him. And so toe-curlingly good she was literally light-headed. Probably due to the fact that she seemed to have forgotten how to breathe as his tongue played with hers in her mouth. She slipped her hands around his neck, unconsciously pressing her body up against his.

Hotch made a deep sound in his throat and backed her up until she came in contact with her car. Their kiss deepened and Emily felt her pulse quicken. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that she could feel the effect their kiss was having on him. And he wasn't the only one. The region south of her belly button felt swollen and heavy, aching for him.

A car horn suddenly blared next to them and a voice yelled out "Get a room!" They jumped apart in surprise. Emily stared at Hotch, her lips tingling and her heart beating so fast in her chest that she felt breathless. He gazed back at her, his mouth parted, chest heaving with quick breaths. She felt a bubble of laughter escape.

He gave her a questioning look. His hand reaching out to smooth away a lock of hair that the breeze had swept onto her face. "What's so funny?" he murmured. He didn't take his hand away from her face, instead cupping her cheek, his thumb slowly stroking her cheek.

She grinned at him, her heart filling with joy at the tender look in his eyes. "You know, I've imagined how our meeting would turn out so many different ways. But never, ever, in a million years would it have crossed my mind that I would be practically taken against my car by SSAIC Aaron Hotchner and then told to get a room."

He burst out in unrestrained laughter and she laughed along with him, his laughter was so infectious. When he finally recovered, he looked at her, still smiling. "May I take you out again, soon?"

"Yes, please." She beamed up at him.

"We're going to need to think of a story to tell the team tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I have it all under control."

Those were the last words she spoke for a long time because he swooped down and covered her mouth with his, as if he could not bear to separated from her.

* * *

><p>"So Emily, how did last night go?" Morgan took a sip of his coffee, giving her a suggestive wink as he watched her store her lunch in the fridge located in the break room.<p>

She raised and eyebrow at him. "What in the world would make you think I'd tell you anything?"

He grinned. "Well, you're a better bet than Hotch to spill the beans."

"Forget it, Morgan."

"Aww, come on Emily, I thought we were friends. Just the basics – location, position, number of times..."

She laughed at him in disbelief. "You are unbelievable! No way I'm telling you anything. It'll be all over this building in 5 seconds. I'm going to to do some work now." She started to walk past him and stopped short when he caught her arm. "Hey!" Bemused, she watched as he drew up her sleeve to bare her wrist. "What are you doing?"

"No marks." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Ha, I knew it, that handcuff thing was just a stunt to teach us a lesson, wasn't it? Admit it."

Emily pulled her arm away, saying nothing. But just before she walked away, she looked straight into his eyes. "What made you think _I_ was going to be the one handcuffed?"

***big grin* Hope you enjoyed this, it turned out much more romantic than I had anticipated. I'm not sure yet if I'll continue this fic, what do you think? Please review and let me know.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you all SOOOO very much for your overwhelming response to the last chapter. I'm not sure how long I will keep this going for, but I thought I'd at least give you one or two 'intimate' encounters. Not just yet, but very soon, I promise! I'm still on vacation and loving it, but internet access is spotty at best, so I'll post when I can.  
><strong>

Hotch was packing up his files when he heard his phone signal an incoming text. Picking it up, he smiled upon seeing whom it was from.

_Hey handsome, I know we said we won't see each other tonight, but I really miss you. I'm about to rustle up some dinner and I've got dessert ready to go. Come over for a quick bite and then I promise to let you go home_ : )

He checked the time. It was already almost 9. They had been away for the last five days on a case and had only gotten back around 6. Aside from a few short conversations on their cells before retiring for the night, they had had no other personal contact during that time. When they had started to see each other outside work a month ago, they had made the obvious and rational decision not to let their personal relationship intrude on their professional one. That seemed to be working at the moment. He was feeling tired, as he knew she was. But he missed her too. It felt like it had been too long since they had been together outside work. He pressed reply.

_C u in ten._

Her reply was almost instantaneous.

_Take ur ready bag with u when u come up._

* * *

><p>Emily looked up at the time at the sound of a knock on the door. Exactly ten minutes as Hotch had promised. She loved a dependable man. She paused, blinking. Loved? Shaking her head, she walked to her front door and opened it, unable to deny the burst of happiness she felt at the sight of his face. "Hey stranger."<p>

"Hey." He wore a corresponding smile. When she didn't move aside, he frowned questioningly. "Am I allowed to come in?"

"Price of entry is a kiss." She stepped up to him so that her body was touching his and linked her arms around his neck.

"Hmm...I'm starving, so guess I better pay up," he murmured, his lips half an inch from hers.

Emily emitted a small sigh into his mouth as his lips settled fully on hers. She automatically tilted her head so that their mouths would better fit together. Their kiss was long and slow and sweet. When they pulled apart, she smiled when she saw that just like her, he was breathing just that little bit faster. She took his hand. "Come in, dinner will take me just a few minutes."

Hotch followed her inside. "Why did you want me to bring up my go bag?"

"I thought you might like to take a shower and get changed into something more comfortable while you wait for dinner."

"Good idea. You're sure you don't mind if I use your bathroom?"

"Normally I would say yes, but luckily I just cleaned it last weekend. Go ahead."

Fifteen minutes later, Emily walked into the lounge room to find Hotch reading a document. He was wearing a faded maroon Beatles t-shirt and sweatpants and his bare feet were propped up on her coffee table. What made her smile though was the sight of his reading glasses.

Hotch looked up at her. "Dinner ready?"

"Yeah, come on."

Taking off his glasses, he followed her to the dining table. "What were you smiling about just then?" he asked as they sat down.

"I didn't know you wore reading glasses." She grinned at him. "You look adorable in them."

His mouth twitched. "I'm completely secure in my masculinity, but I'm not sure about being described as adorable."

She choked back a laugh. Adorable _and_ funny. Could she get any luckier? Actually, she'd settle for just getting lucky. She wanted him so badly that some days she had to forcibly restrain herself not to leap on him and ravish the heck out of him. And that was during work hours. "Okay, let me rephrase, you looked incredibly handsome in your reading glasses."

"In that case, flattery will get your everywhere."

"Oh really? Will it get me into your pants?" She shot him a wicked smile.

"Let's put it this way. You don't need to flatter me in any way to do that. I'm pretty sure one touch is all it takes."

"I've touched you plenty, and that hasn't gotten me into your pants yet."

She must have looked disgruntled because he was quick to reply, "You know it isn't because I haven't wanted us to move to the next stage. And I'm sure you know exactly what effect you have on me." He paused. "Maybe doing the gentlemanly thing and allowing us some time to adjust to the thought of seeing each other wasn't such a great idea?"

Emily shook her head. "No, you were completely right to do that. I love that you've been such a gentleman. I'm just naturally impatient. We've had what, five dates and at least three dirty phone calls. You may have the self control of a saint, but I don't. I think my libido is in overdrive where you're concerned." She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her pasta.

"Well..." Hotch sounded thoughtful. "Jack _is _spending the rest of the week with his grandparents so maybe I could stay the night?" His sentence finished on a tentative note as his eyes focussed on her.

She stared at him, fork poised halfway to her mouth. "I'm sorry, did you say you wanted to stay the night? With me?"

"Yes. And yes, I'd prefer that it was you, but Mrs DiMarco could probably do at a pinch." Mrs DiMarco was Emily's next door neighbour and was at least 85 years old.

Her heart was hammering in her chest. "You'd probably kill her with one wicked look. In the interest of saving her life, I guess I'll just have to put up with your lustful advances." Her attempt at a nonchalant reply was somewhat unsuccessful as a result of the wobble in her voice. _Pathetic much, Emily?_

"I'm glad you love the fact that I've been a gentleman, because after dinner I'm going to show you exactly how much of a gentleman I can be." He paused. "Although seeing how long it's been for me, I'll doubtless also prove how much of a gentleman I'm not."

At the dark look of wicked intent in his eyes, nerves fluttered in the pit of her stomach even as a frisson of awareness ran through her. What had she got herself into?

**Send a review my way if you can. M chapter up next!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi guys, thanks so much for continuing to read this fic, I'm sorry for the randomness of my posting. I am being held hostage to internet access! Otherwise my vacation is excellent, thanks for all your well wishes. **

**Thanks to all those who nominated me and my stories for the Profilers Choice Awards, I am so extremely touched that you thought me worthy. I hope you will join in and vote for the fics and authors you judge best when the nominations are posted.  
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**At last, the long awaited M chapter...  
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Emily arched her back as Hotch swirled his tongue around her nipple. He watched with satisfaction as her nipple tightened further at the stream of cool air he blew on it. He moved across to her other nipple, treating it like the first, then sucking hard on it. Emily moved restlessly under him, her fingers tightening in his hair. He knew she wanted more, needed more from him. He had already spent half an hour on the back of her body alone, alternating between stroking her and pressing soft kisses on her smooth skin.

He shifted downwards, taking his time to play with her belly button with his tongue, circling it several times then dipping his tongue into it.

"Hotch," breathed Emily, entreaty in her voice.

He looked up to see her black eyes focussed intently on him, cheeks flushed. He smiled at her. "Haven't you heard that patience is a virtue?"

"Haven't you heard that patience is not a virtue of mine?" she retorted. "And if you don't pick up your game, I swear I'm going to tackle you and take any virtue you have left."

Hotch chuckled. "As threats go, that was hands down the most attractive one I've ever encountered."

"Hotch..." she said threateningly.

"Okay, okay," he said, lifting his hands in surrender. "Your wish is my command, although the thought of you tackling me and having your way with me has a certain attraction," he teased.

"Can we play The alpha male wants to be dominated into submission game later please?"

He smiled darkly to himself as he spread her legs and settled himself between them. Leaning forward, he ran his tongue deeply up her swollen cleft, hearing her moan his name loudly. Without hesitation he fastened his mouth on her and sucked hard, tasting the sudden rush of juice that she produced. His shaft throbbed urgently, seeking release, but he ignored it. She was his priority.

He took his mouth away, and slid his finger into her, feeling her clench around him. He touched his tongue to her sensitive bud, laving it slowly, just as his finger stroked in and out of her. He added a second finger, gently stretching her. She was tight, and he didn't want to hurt her when he entered her later. His tongue moved faster and faster, flicking her engorged nub as his fingers thrusted quickly into her. He felt her thighs stiffen on either side of him, and heard her release a long, low moan. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he climbed up the bed and lay down next to her on her pillow.

Emily turned her head to look at him, still breathing raggedly. "That was..." she licked her lips, "really nice." A smile appeared on her lips.

"Just nice? I'm crushed." He raised his eyebrows when she flashed him a wicked smile then scooted down the bed.

"Yep, nice. As in how nice you're going to feel after I do this." At those words, she took his heavy erection in her hand and he stopped breathing.

* * *

><p>Emily stroked him up and down slowly, hearing Hotch's subdued gasp as he started breathing again. He strained in her hand, the obvious sight of his excitement fuelling hers anew. She lowered her head and took the flushed head in her mouth, closing her eyes to savour the musky, salty taste of him. She sucked him lazily while her hand continued to pump the lower part of his shaft. After a few moments she drew back and swirled her tongue over the slit, tasting the beads of salty liquid that was being emitted. She took him back into her mouth, drawing strongly as she moved her hand upon him. With her other hand she took his heavy sacs and rolled them gently, hearing his grunt when she did so.<p>

"Emily, enough!" At Hotch's growl, she looked up in surprise, letting him slip out of her mouth. His eyes glittered fiercely at her. "Climb on top of me," he said softly, holding his hands out.

She took them, using them to steady herself as she straddled his hips. She let go of his hand and grasped his manhood, placing it at her opening. Her eyes locked with his as she slowly sank down upon him, feeling her internal muscles stretch slowly to accept him. She bit her lip as she felt a slight pinch, it had been a long while for her. Hotch placed his hands on her hips, holding her still so that she didn't move any further downwards.

"Easy," he murmured.

She noticed the strain around his mouth and the film of perspiration on his forehead. The sensation of her wet heat surrounding him must be excruciating. She knew that it was taking everything in him not to pull her onto him and start thrusting like a man possessed. So she took a breath and pushed down hard. Although she was tight, her previous climax eased the way and she suddenly found herself seated on him, his full length encased within her. Tightening around him, she lifted herself up, then slid back down, feeling his iron hardness fill her. Again and again, she repeated her actions, feeling the familiar tension build in the pit of her stomach as her heartbeat pounded fiercely in her ears.

Hotch reached out his hand and stroked her bud which was slick with her arousal. She whimpered at the sudden stab of sensation that shot through her groin. A few moments later the wave of release swept over her, wiping away all thoughts, leaving only the ecstasy pulsing through her veins. She felt herself being lifted up and placed on the bed. And then Hotch was pushing her legs apart and coming into her. She could only stare at him with dazed eyes as he pounded into her, jaw gritted and eyes hard with lust. Within seconds he emitted a harsh growl as he climaxed, pushing himself deep and holding still. Emily could feel him throbbing within her and she imagined his seed flooding her channel. She was glad that she was on the pill and that they had agreed to forego protection as they were both healthy. She didn't want there to be any barriers between them.

He collapsed next to her but immediately pulled her up against him, closing his eyes while his arms held her close. She smiled at the look of complete relaxation on his face. She reached up, wiping away the dampness on his forehead. A thought struck her.

"Hotch?" she ventured.

"Aaron," he muttered, not bothering to open his eyes.

"What?" She frowned.

He cracked open his eyes the barest amount. "Seeing that my penis has been in your vagina, I'm pretty sure you can call me Aaron."

Emily couldn't help herself. She broke out in peals of laughter. "Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when you used the words penis and vagina outside of a case. And you did it so casually, too."

"It's all due to this incredibly beautiful woman who performs the best phone sex I've ever experienced."

She flashed him a pleased grin. "I'd feel somewhat more flattered if I didn't know that I'm the _only_ phone sex operator you've experienced."

"I can recognise talent when I hear it. But that's not all you're talented at."

"Oh?"

"You also give amazing head."

Emily groaned, dropping her head on his chest. "I think I've let loose a monster."

Hotch chuckled. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

They lay still for a while, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

Hotch spoke next. "Were you going to say something to me before I rudely interrupted you?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you that I made you some Hershey Kisses gelato."

His eyes flashed open. _Well, now she knew what she needed to say if she wanted to wake him up. _"What? You forgot to tell me something that important?"

"Well, it was really all your fault for dropping the I-want-to-stay-the-night bomb on me." She pulled away from him reluctantly and started to sit up, but Hotch beat her to it.

"Stay there. I'll get it."

"Thanks." She ran her eyes unashamedly over his naked form as he strode to the door. He paused at the doorway, then turned back to face her. "What?" she asked, bemused at the look of mischief on his face.

"You know that handcuff fantasy of ours? What do you think about the idea of using Hershey Kisses gelato instead of chocolate syrup?"

**I hope I didn't disappoint you! Do leave me a review if you can. Next up we'll see some of Jack, as per a few readers' requests. If you want to see something in particular, please PM me and I'll try my best to oblige.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Here's a bit of Jack. I'm so sorry, this chapter was supposed to have heaps of Jack but it got hijacked by Hotch and Emily's emotional relationship!  
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_Knock, knock, knock._

Emily walked to her door, smiling before she even opened it. On the other side were two of her favourite men in the world.

"Hi Emily." Jack gave her a shy smile when he saw her.

"Hi Jack, how are you?" She beamed down at his adorable face, made even cuter by the missing tooth that he was currently sporting.

"I'm good. Oh, I mean, I'm very well, thank you," he replied, casting a quick glance at Hotch, whom Emily saw was trying to suppress a smile.

"Excellent manners, Jack! I'm so impressed. So, am I allowed to have a hug?" she asked, getting down on one knee.

He nodded, stepping forward, and she put her arms around him. After giving him a little squeeze, she stood back up, pretending to be surprised when he held out a tall flower to her which she had seen in his hand.

"Emily, I made this for you at school."

"Oh sweetie, this is gorgeous! You did such a great job, I love it!" The flower was made from a long, black, plastic handle to which was stuck a round piece of cardboard surrounded by painted clothes pegs forming the middle of the flower. The 'petals' were made from a piece of purple cellophane which was crumpled and taped around the top of the stick. "I am going to put this right next to my bed so that it's the first thing I see in the morning and then I'll think of you. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Yes, but it's a bit long, so you'll have to tie something around it to keep it up. Cos I don't think it'll fit on your bedside table."

"That's a very valid point, Jack, thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't thought of that. How bout you come to my room and help me set it up properly when you and dad drop me home later?"

"Okay," he said, nodding solemnly. Emily's heart melted at the sight. His features and colouring was all Haley, and yet his mannerisms were so much like Hotch that they never failed to tug at her heartstrings.

She smiled warmly down at the little boy. "I've got our picnic basket all ready, so let's get going."

"I'm going to go down the stairs first," called out Jack as he took off, leaving Hotch shaking his head.

"Am I allowed to have a kiss?" asked Hotch, echoing her earlier words to Jack as he smiled down at her.

"Lips only, please, no tongue," she warned.

"What?" he spluttered, drawing back in surprise as he had already started to lean down towards her in anticipation.

"It's been too long since we you-know-what. Your tongue might make me lose all control and Jack will get an eyeful of something you don't want him to know anything about preferably until he's 18."

Hotch's mouth twitched. "He won't be the only one getting an eyeful."

Emily looked up to see Mrs DiMarco watching them without any attempt to hide her interest. "Hi Mrs D. How are you?" she called out.

"Not as good as you're doing, it seems," she replied, winking. "Your young man reminds me of my fourth husband. He was very good in the bedroom," Mrs DiMarco continued, a faraway look appearing in her eyes.

"That's good to know, Mrs D." Emily didn't dare venture a look at Hotch's face, knowing if she did so, she would probably crack up. "You have a good day."

"You too, dear." Mrs DiMarco turned and walked back into the apartment.

Hotch took the picnic basket from Emily and paused to let her descent the stairs before him. "Mrs DiMarco is one precocious lady."

"You know it's a compliment to be compared to her husband who was good in bed," said Emily, tongue in cheek.

"At least she didn't tell us to keep it down," Hotch said in a mild tone while he opened the door open for her and Jack, who was waiting impatiently at the entrance for them.

"No she didn't, it was Mrs Heller from next door that gave me that particular feedback. I believe her exact words were, 'All that caterwauling isn't exactly ladylike, Emily.'"

Emily helped Jack into his seat and buckled him in while Hotch blinked in surprise at her statement.

"Hurry up, Dad! I want to go play with Scott. He said he'd be at the playground today." Jack gave his dad a mini-Hotch frown.

"Sorry, buddy." Hotch quickly put the picnic basket in the back and got in. Emily was already seated. He looked over at her as he pulled away from her apartment complex. "You were joking about Mrs Heller, right?"

Emily had to bite the inside of her mouth to stop herself from laughing at the look of concern on his face which included more than a hint of embarrassment. "I wasn't joking, actually. But you don't need to feel any embarrassment. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one doing any caterwauling, a grunt is all I recall coming from you." She suddenly stopped in her tracks, covering her mouth with her hand when she remembered that Jack was in the back seat. She quickly turned to look at him, but luckily he was engrossed with his Lego tractor and figurine.

Hotch chuckled as he drove down the road leading to the park and playground. "He mightn't have gotten an eyeful, but he almost got an earful."

"Just for that, you don't get to have a second serve of dessert."

"What? That's not fair," he complained, frowning at her. "How come you get to tease me but I can't tease you?"

"That's just the way of the universe," she replied majestically, sticking her nose up in the air.

* * *

><p>As they sat on their picnic blanket watching Jack climb the monkey bars with his friend from school, Hotch broached a subject that Emily had been dreading.<p>

"I've been thinking and I think it's time we informed Strauss about our relationship."

Emily was quiet as she thought about the different outcomes of that particular conversation, none of them good.

"Emily?" His brows had drawn together as she continued to remain silent.

"I know that's what we should do, but I just wish we didn't have to. Do we?" she pleaded with her eyes.

"I think our relationship is serious enough that we should declare it to her. Unless you don't think it's at that stage ..." His voice trailed off and he looked uncharacteristically uncertain.

Emily rushed to reassure him. "Aaron, I love you. Of course our relationship is serious."

His lips parted and he stared at her, a stunned expression on his face.

She suddenly realised what she had said. But it was too late to take it back. Not that she wanted to. She meant what she said. She had realised she was in love with him about five seconds into their first kiss. She just hadn't planned to say it so soon. _Crap._ He looked like he was freaking out. Well, as much freaked out as SSAIC Hotchner could look.

"Emily, I … uh …" He licked his lips. She had never seen him at a loss for words.

She reached over and took his hand in hers. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to put you on the spot. But I'm not sorry for telling you that I love you, because that's the truth, although that wasn't the way I envisioned doing it. Aaron," she said softly, looking deep into his eyes so that he could see that she was telling the truth. "I don't expect you to say those words back to me. I don't even expect you to feel that way about me, although I hope that one day, you will. I just wanted you to know, that's all."

Hotch looked at her, a serious expression on his face. He reached out and cupped her cheek with his free hand. "Emily, you know that I care about you, very much."

She smiled warmly at him. "I know. Which is why I think you should tell Strauss."

He frowned worriedly at her. "Are you sure? Because this can't be just my decision alone, Emily, I want you to be sure."

She nodded. "I'm sure."

He looked at her for a long moment before his brow cleared. He leaned over and kissed her gently, and in it she could feel the affection he felt for her. She put her head on his shoulder and they turned back together to look at Jack, Hotch's hand sliding around her waist and holding her close to him.

**I don't think there will be that many chapters to go, and there will actually be some angst in the next chapter so the tone of the fic will be changing somewhat. But I do promise a 'bedroom fantasy' chapter before I end it. Thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Finally back home and trying not to get depressed about work on Monday. Thank you all SOOOO very much for all your reviews, now that I'm back I will try to reply to each of your personally, just know I loved hearing from each of you. You made my holiday that much better.**

**I have not written the scene where Hotch and Emily tells Strauss about their relationship as I was struggling with it somewhat and I have already done the scene in my 'Sin' fic, so rewriting it in a different way was proving difficult. It was also something I hadn't envisioned writing. I think there will only be 3 to 4 chapters left to this fic.  
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Emily forced herself to breathe slowly as she listened to Hotch try to reason with the UnSub over her comms unit. The team was situated at several locations around the farmhouse together with the officers from the Sheriff's Department. None of them had any visual access into the house and Hotch had gone in there blind, not even knowing for certain whether the UnSub had had the teenage girl in the house with him.

He did, and he was now not only threatening to shoot the girl, but Hotch as well. Emily had had to bite her lip hard when he said that he was going in to talk to the UnSub, whom, besides knowing that they had proof that he had murdered five other girls, had shown a complete disregard for human life. He had nothing left to lose and Hotch's life meant nothing to him. The polar opposite of how she felt. But her feelings could never intrude into their professional sphere. And that was that.

Her hand tightened around her gun when she heard the UnSub screaming abuse at Hotch while Hotch spoke calmly, trying to persuade him to let the girl go. Hotch had been in there for almost 30 minutes. She didn't know how much longer she could stand there and do nothing. Her nerves were stretched to breaking point.

"Just let Jessie go and we can talk, just you and me, no one else," repeated Hotch, it seemed for the hundredth time.

Emily's heart stopped when she heard the UnSub's next words.

"I'm done talking." And then the sound of a gunshot exploded in her ears.

* * *

><p>After making sure that the UnSub's body was secure and that Jessie was in the care of the paramedics, Hotch strode outside, his eyes immediately seeking out Emily. But she was nowhere to be seen. He walked towards Morgan, intending to ask where she was, but before he could do so, the deputy in charge of the investigation came up and asked Hotch a few questions in order to complete his report and it was another half an hour before he could get away.<p>

When he returned to the spot where the two SUVs they had on loan from the local field office had been parked, he saw that only one remained. As he drew closer, a sudden smile broke out when he realised that Emily was leaning against the side of the vehicle, waiting for him.

"Emily?" He lengthened his stride and within seconds, was standing next to her. His smile faded when he noticed the strain around her eyes and the colour of her complexion, which was pale even for her. "What's happened, are you all right?" His hand had already started to reach out to touch her before he caught himself, realising where they were.

She gave him a forced smile that failed to reach her eyes. "I'm fine. Can we go? I'd really like to get home tonight."

Hotch frowned. Something was obviously wrong, but this was neither the place nor the time to delve into personal issues. "Get in."

Emily was silent during the ride back to their motel. He didn't fail to notice the way she was twisting her fingers together anxiously, even though outwardly, she appeared to be a picture of calm, her eyes conveniently hidden behind her large, brown tinted sunglasses. He glanced at the GPS navigator on the dashboard. Their motel was still another 10 miles away and in any case, the team would be there, no doubt waiting to see whether they could catch some sort of indication about their feelings for each other, or at the very least, they would be looking closely at the way he and Emily were interacting. It had gotten worse since the team had found out that Strauss knew about their relationship. Hotch hadn't said anything to his subordinates, because even though their surveillance was an annoyance at times, he knew that each of his colleagues was genuinely pleased that he and Emily had found each other.

Making up his mind, he pulled onto the side of the road then turned to face her, reaching across to cover her hands with his right one. "Emily, tell me what's wrong."

She said nothing for long while, and just sat there, staring down at his hand on hers. And then, when she finally spoke he had to strain to hear the words she uttered, her voice no louder than a whisper. "This has been one of the worst days of my life."

Shock jolted through him. "What? What do you mean?" Facing the UnSub had been a risky move, but in the end Hotch's instincts and his reading of the situation had proven correct. In fact, it hadn't even been a rare occasion. They faced UnSubs all the time, and sometimes it required a strategy like he had employed today. Emily herself had been in such a situation. So he wasn't sure what it was that was so different about today. He had to look into her eyes, so he leaned over and removed her sunglasses with his left hand, before gently tipping up her face towards him. His heart stuttered when he saw the tears in her eyes.

She breathed out a humourless laugh. "Of course you don't know what I mean. How could you? It's just another day on the job for you." Her tone was resigned, self-mockery evident.

Hotch shook his head, feeling confused. "Emily, I still don't understand what – " Before he finished his sentence, she interrupted him.

"I thought I lost you and I froze."

"What are you talking ..." he started to ask, before realisation dawned. She must have thought that the he had been shot when the UnSub had turned the gun on himself. How could he not have realised? "_Sweetheart._ I'm so sorry. I should have known that might have been what you thought when the gun went off." He took hold of her hands and held them tight. "I didn't come and look for you after I got out and I should have. I'm sorry."

She looked at him with her dark, dark eyes, tears shimmering at the edge of her bottom lashes. "There's no need to apologise, you were just doing your job. I, on the other hand, was letting my emotions interfere with mine. Maybe Strauss was wrong to allow us to continue our personal relationship. I was naïve to think I could completely shut my feelings for you away during working hours."

"Emily, you are the strongest person I know. Your actions have been completely professional throughout and it's because Strauss knows your strength of character and the fact that you are able to focus on getting the job no matter what your personal feelings are, was she amenable to us carrying on a personal relationship." He looked deeply into her eyes, willing her to hear the conviction in his voice. "I trust you, Emily. I always have and I always will. I know that you'll do everything in your power not to your feelings for me interfere with your job." He softened his voice. "And I know it's hypocritical of me to say this, but I'm glad your feelings for me are so strong that you were affected by them. If you want to know the truth, I don't think I could have sent you in there today. If I did, I would have had to ask Morgan to take over command, because it would have been impossible for me remain impartial."

Her lips parted and she looked at him with wonder. "You couldn't? That wasn't what you told Strauss."

"I bent the truth somewhat." He smiled at her. "It seems that you've managed to sneak under my defences without me knowing. And there's no way I was going to risk losing you over as a result of workplace policy. Not now that I know exactly what I've got." His heart lightened at the faint smile that appeared on her face.

"I'm pretty sure you put my compartmentalisation skills to shame." Emily's mouth slowly widened to a grin. "I have to admit that I've checked out your very sexy nether region a handful of times when we've been in the break room together."

He chuckled, lifting her hands to his mouth and placing a kiss on the knuckles of each hand. "I was wondering why we seemed to have a coincidental need for coffee on such a large number of occasions."

She made a _moue_ with her mouth and it took all his willpower not to lean across and cover her mouth with his. "I guess you've managed to avoid checking me out, huh?"

"No, but I _have_ been spending valuable work time planning exactly how we should enact our handcuffs fantasy."

Emily pulled back, looking surprised and intrigued at the same time. "Agent Hotchner! Misusing federal resources in such a naughty way. Do tell."

He grinned at her. "I think it's better that I show you. I even swallowed my pride and asked Garcia to help me buy a pair of handcuffs online. Just in case the bureau does some extra deep background checks for my next top secret clearance vetting." He lifted his eyebrows when she burst out laughing.

"Oh God, now I get why she was cranky when I asked her to order in a pair of replacement handcuffs for me. I could have sworn she muttered something about why everyone seemed to think she was an experienced sex toy purchaser."

Hotch laughed as he started up the SUV. "I guess the team thinks we're a pair of sex addicts who are into bondage. Maybe we can start planning sex parties next."

Emily leant her head back on the headrest, turning her head to flash a smile at him. "Cool! If we do, I'm going to ask PG to order me a red crotchless full length latex suit. That's what I've always thought my dream costume would be if I was ever invited to a sex party."

**Maybe another M chapter up next (seeing I've teased you all so much with the handcuffs), then some laughs with the team if my muse cooperates. Leave me a review, please?**


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm sorry, I know I was going to do a M chapter, but I'm a bit 'smutted' out at the moment after doing my 'Order' oneshot. It happens to the best of us *grin* I might do it as a separate oneshot because I'm hoping to wrap up this fic soon. I do promise I will write it, just not immediately.**

Derek raised his hand to knock on Emily's apartment door but stopped before making contact when he heard her voice.

"Ohhh ... Aaron, that's soooooo good, don't stop." Even from the other side of the door, Derek could hear Emily clearly. "Mmm ... right there, oh, that's it." Her voice sounded drugged with pleasure. "Harder, ahh, yessssss ... you're so incredibly good at this."

"How about like this?" Hotch asked. "Is this hard enough?"

Emily's only reply was a long moan.

_What the hell,_ thought Derek. Were they actually doing what he thought they were doing?

Reid suddenly appeared next to him. "What's up? Why aren't you inside yet?" he asked, looking at Derek quizzically.

_Shut up_, mouthed Derek, frowning fiercely at his colleague. The last thing he wanted was for the couple to know he had been eavesdropping. Even if it had been purely by chance.

"Did you say you want me to move faster?" Hotch continued. "I like it better this way. Long, and slow and deep." The couch creaked.

"Oh, Aaron," moaned Emily.

Derek felt his cheeks heat. He couldn't even meet Reid's eyes when at any other time he would have revelled in Reid's embarrassment. He blew out a breath. _Forget this shit. _He'd rather face Strauss' wrath for failing to deliver the urgent document to Hotch than stand here listening to his partner and Unit Chief get it on.

"Oh wow, are they really..." Reid's voice sounded somewhat strangled.

"I'm getting out of here. You can deliver this to Hotch." Derek shoved the A4 envelope to Reid.

"What? But Strauss asked you to do it," protested Reid. "I don't want Hotch to know I've been standing here the whole time they've been engaged in you-know-what!"

"Better you than me. If I have to stand here another minute listening to them, I'm going to have to cut my ears off and burn them. I already need to get my memory of the last few minutes wiped."

"What, do you think I'm enjoying this? You're the one who looks at porn on the internet!" hissed Reid.

"There's nothing wrong with looking at porn, it's completely normal. Listening to your boss having sex with your partner, now _that's_ wrong!"

They both jumped back when Emily's door suddenly swung open. Emily stood before the both of them, wearing a bathrobe, her hair in disarray. "_For the love of God!_ Who the hell could remain turned on while listening to the two of you squabbling like two-year-olds! Having sex, hah! What a joke." She looked extremely pissed.

Derek felt a wave of embarrassment sweep through him. Damn, he couldn't remember the last time he actually experienced that particular feeling. He didn't think he could feel worse if he had walked in on his parents doing the deed.

"Well, are you coming in or what?" she asked impatiently, tightening the belt on her bathrobe with a vicious pull. She glared at them.

Derek heard Reid swallow hard. They walked inside and she closed the door behind them sharply.

"Hotch is in the kitchen. I'm going to put some clothes on." She strode off before either one of them could say anything.

The two of them walked into the kitchen to find their Unit Chief pouring coffee into a mug. He was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. Thank God for small favours. After what they had overheard, Derek had feared he would be seeing a part of his boss that a subordinate should never have to see. Unless it was Hotch and the subordinate was Emily, that is.

"Morgan, Reid. What are you doing here?"

Derek was relieved to hear Hotch's mild tone. He didn't look angry either. That was a relief. Emily pissed off was bad enough. Hotch pissed off didn't bear thinking about.

Reid spoke up. "We're really very sorry to interrupt, sir, but Chief Strauss asked us to drop these papers off to you."

"Yeah, we're sorry we came at a bad time," Derek felt compelled to add.

Hotch frowned. "What do you mean?"

"For interrupting the both of you when you were uh ... you know." Derek found himself uncharacteristically at a loss for words.

His supervisor's eyes narrowed. "No, I don't know."

_Bloody hell._ Could this conversation get any more awkward? "Never mind," Derek muttered.

"What exactly did you think Emily and I were doing?" asked Hotch in a conversational tone.

Derek was feeling so embarrassed that he failed to see the twinkle in Hotch's eye. Apparently neither did Reid, who blurted out, "Having sexual intercourse, sir."

Derek flashed Reid an incredulous look. "_Reid!_"

The two of them looked askance at Hotch when he chuckled. "What made you think we were doing that?"

"Uh, Hotch, did you actually hear yourselves?" Derek paused. "Wait a minute, you mean you weren't?"

"No, we weren't." Hotch took a sip of his coffee, still smiling.

"What were you doing then?" asked Reid, brow furrowed. Derek would have bet his next pay check that the good doctor was playing back the part of the 'conversation' that he had overheard.

"Hotch was giving me a massage." Emily swept into the kitchen, now dressed in a pair of black jeans and red top.

"Was that what you were doing. For a while there we thought you guys were doing something sexual." Derek gratefully took the mug of coffee Hotch was holding out to him.

Emily looked up from popping some bread into the toaster. "Who said the massage wasn't sexual? Hotch is very good with his hands you know. Among other things. One of the major benefits of dating an overachiever." She winked at Derek.

Derek's hand jerked, spilling hot coffee on it. "_Shit!_"

"Emily," murmured Hotch.

Derek looked up. Hotch was no help. The smile on his supervisor's face was more indulgent than reproving.

Emily looked smug. "That's for interrupting my massage-with-a-happy-ending."

"I am so going to get you back, Prentiss." Derek glared at her, wiping his hand on his shirt.

She laughed, walking up next to Hotch and sliding her arm around his waist. "Go right ahead. Just don't forget that I'm sleeping with the boss. And you've no one to blame but yourself."

All Derek could do was grit his teeth while Reid laughed out loud at him.

**I got the 'massage' idea from a recent Blue Bloods episode. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you to those of you who have told me how much they enjoyed the last chapter. Thank you especially to HRGHfan35 and Tigereye77 for your friendship and words of encouragement (including outrage on my behalf) *grin* You've warmed my heart.**

**I must admit I was quite stunned to receive a couple of reviews basically saying that without the M rated chapter, this story sucked and therefore they will no longer read it. I'm sorry to have to mention it here but as the reviews were anonymous, I am unable to reply to them personally. All I want to say is that I respect your right to have opinions and it is your choice as to whether to read the stories I write. But in return I do ask that you respect my right to craft my stories the way I envision them. I am sure that other authors will agree that it is truly not an easy task trying to put down in words the images and emotions that we have formed in both our conscious and subconscious, and even harder trying to satisfy ourselves with the end product. I am still learning so I'm more than happy to receive constructive feedback and happy to discuss with you why I have written (or not written) something the way you would have liked. I just ask that you do it in a respectful manner.**

**Despite the negativity of the comments, I have thought about those reviews and I do think that the M-rated chapter should be part of this fic, so here it is. I really am somewhat burnt out, so it is not as long as I had originally planned; a oneshot would have given me more space and time to explore. In any case, I hope you will not be disappointed.**

* * *

><p><em>Click.<em>

Emily felt her mouth go dry as Hotch fastened a handcuff around her right wrist and looped it around one of the bars on her headboard.

_Click._ Now both of her hands were secure. A feeling of helplessness swept over her. She swallowed hard, shifting her body restlessly on the bed.

Hotch looked at her, concern in his eyes. "Emily, are you sure you want to do this? We don't have to, you know. Just say the word and we'll stop."

She knew that he thought she was thinking about the last time she had been restrained. The memory had resurfaced but she had pushed it away. This situation was completely different. In fact, it wasn't even in the same universe as the other. "No, I'm okay, I want to keep going."

He frowned. The worried look on his face warmed her heart and the vague fear she had been experiencing diminished. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'm okay, I promise." She tried to put his mind at ease and ventured a smile. "Just don't tease me too much, all right? I don't know how much I can take."

His face was so serious that his question didn't register for a moment. "What's the safe word?"

Emily blinked. She couldn't help herself. She giggled, breaking the tension that had surfaced. She even forgot about the handcuffs for a moment. "Glenfiddich." The single-malt was Hotch's favourite brand. She tilted her head to one side. "Hey, why is that my safe word, shouldn't that be yours?"

Hotch drew his sweatshirt up and over his head. "Well, if you remember, it _was_ my word of choice until you stole it."

Her eyes roved over his bare torso hungrily as he unbuttoned his jeans. Damn, the man was sizzling hot. If she wasn't handcuffed to the bed she would have already pulled him down on top of her. "Well, it's because your word was _so_ much better than the boring ones I came up with."

"That's true," he said drily. "Coffee cup, tomato and banana, that's the best you could do?" He smiled teasingly at her. She felt a rush of heat travel through her. What he could do her with just a smile.

"Don't be mean, they were the first words that came to mind which had three syllables." She frowned. "Why does the word have to be three syllables anyway?"

He shrugged, turning around to throw his jeans onto the chair in the corner. "I don't know, that's what it said on the 'net."

She grinned. "I can't believe you googled safe words."

"You should know by now that one of my mottos is always be prepared. Because, I quote, 'spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation' unquote." He smiled, reaching down to pick something up from the floor next to the bed. Emily reached out and touched his naked flank with her right foot. He straightened up and her eyes widened when she saw what he was holding in his hand.

"W..what are you planning to do with that?" Even as nerves fluttered in her stomach, she felt a rush of moisture between her thighs dark look of lust on his visage as he stared down at her body, spread out before him like a feast just waiting to be devoured.

* * *

><p>Hotch gazed upon the gorgeous sight before him. He was lying on his stomach between Emily's spreadeagled legs, having just paid a more than satisfactory amount of time on her breasts and nipples with his fingers and mouth. He blew a stream of breath onto the exposed flesh and smiled when she shuddered in response to a fresh wave of arousal. He slowly drew down the tip of his baton down her taut stomach, dipping into her belly button and through the soft hair on her mound before lightly tapping her clit with it.<p>

Emily jumped, gasping loudly. Hotch stroked down one side of the hood covering her clit, then the other side, before repeating his actions. His eyes narrowed as the object of his attention slowly engorged with blood. He rubbed the swollen tip gently with his baton, hearing Emily moan, her thighs moving restlessly on either side of him. Drawing the baton south, he felt Emily tense, holding her breath while he oh, so gently circled the small opening to her body. He finally pushed the baton into her, the slim tip barely even stretching her. Her hips bucked up towards him, the action taking the baton deeper.

Hotch felt his shaft surge dangerously at the sight. "Does that feel good?" he rasped, his voice low. He pulled the baton back out, her juices glistening on the black surface. Again, he pushed it back in, hearing her exhale heavily, then take in a shuddering breath. Leaving it within her, he angled it upwards, scraping along the upper wall of her channel, searching for the spot that would reward her with exquisitely rich sensations.

"Hotch." Emily's voice was strained, pleading. _Ah, there it was._ He looked up to find that her head was thrown back, body arched with pleasure. Her fingers were clenched around fistfuls of the sheet under her. "Please let me come. Please," she begged. A whimper escaped her as he started to piston the baton into her, careful not to push too deep or too hard. Minutes passed as he watched her writhe on the bed from his ministrations.

"No." Emily suddenly pushed herself up on her elbows, staring at him with wild eyes. "It's not enough. I need you."

His eyes took in her flushed cheeks, the film of perspiration on her skin, her red, swollen lips. She was breathing fast, the pulse beating rapidly at her throat. He suddenly couldn't wait any longer. He needed her. Like a drowning man needed air. Even more. He leapt upwards and covered her body with his. Emily moaned his name loud and long when he pushed his straining erection into her waiting depths. The sound reverberated into his mouth as he captured her mouth with his. God, she felt so damn good. Her velvety walls clasped his shaft tightly.

He thrusted slowly, in and out, again and again. Reaching between their bodies, he touched her sensitive nub with his thumb, pressing and stroking gently. Emily's thighs clamped around his hips as her peak swept over her. Sobbing his name, she trembled beneath him, her inner muscles spasming around him.

Knowing that he needed to hold back no longer, he exploded into action, slamming into her with hard strokes. It took him less than a minute to climax and he snarled as he ejaculated forcefully against the mouth of her womb.

Barely able to breathe, his body numb, he collapsed, having just enough presence of mind to avoid dropping the full weight of his body on her. His heart was beating so hard that it felt like it was going to explode.

"Glenfiddich," he muttered a short time later.

"What?" she answered breathlessly.

"Glenfiddich," he repeated.

Silence.

Her voice was soft. "Honey, I think that was my safe word. Cos I'm currently the one with the handcuffs on."

Crap. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." He reached up with an unsteady hand and pressed the release catch. A moment later Emily's arms encircled him.

"Why did you say Glenfiddich?"

"Because any more excitement will kill me. I think my heart almost gave out just then. So Glenfiddich."

He felt her shaking with laughter under him. Her breath was warm against his ear. "I love you, Aaron Hotchner, you know that? I can't even tell you how much you make me laugh."

His heart clenched. He didn't know what to say in response, so he slid his arms under her body and pulled her up tightly against him. So tight that he knew she had to be experiencing difficulty breathing. And yet she said nothing, merely holding him close to her, her lips pressed against his cheek.

**Some angst coming up in the next chapter. Please leave a review if you can.**


	23. Chapter 23

**This is a bit of a spoiler, but I suddenly felt the urge to do a mini crossover with Grey's Anatomy, so here goes. Oh, and please forgive me for the medical terminology, my info was from wikipedia, so it might not be completely correct. If not, do let me know.**

**Angst alert...**

Hotch frowned, drumming his fingers impatiently as he called Emily for the fifth time. Where _was_ she? If they didn't leave the Seattle field office in the next 10 minutes they were going to miss their flight. The team had been there for the last three days for a consult on a series of kidnapping and everyone except for Hotch and Emily had left this morning for another urgent consult in Boulder while the two of them stayed behind to tie up loose ends. Just as they had been about to leave, the SAC of the field office had asked Hotch for a quick run down. Emily had volunteered to drive to their motel to pick up their luggage before swinging by to pick Hotch up.

That had been more than an hour ago. As with the other four times, Emily's cell didn't even ring, her voicemail switching on immediately. He slowly pressed end on his cell, feeling uneasy. Something was wrong, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach. Just as he was about to call Garcia to see if she could track Emily's cellphone location, a junior agent came running up to him, anxiety written all over her face.

"Sir, there's a call for you. It's Seattle Grace hospital."

Hotch swore his heart stopped. Forcing his feet to move, he followed her down the hall and into a conference room. His pulse racing, he picked up the phone. "Aaron Hotchner speaking."

"Mr Hotchner, my name is Jane and I'm calling in relation to Emily Prentiss. I'm afraid she has been in an accident. You need to get here as soon as you can."

After the call ended, Hotch stood there, staring in space, not moving until he felt his arm being shaken.

"Aaron!" He blinked, finally noticing SAC Hetherington standing in front of him, a worried look on his face.

"Sir."

"It's Agent Prentiss, isn't it? What's happened, was she in an accident?"

Hotch could only look at him. He couldn't answer. He was frozen with shock.

Hetherington took his silent as a yes and quickly called out to the agent who had fetched Hotch for the phone call earlier. "Jackson, take SSA Hotchner to Seattle Grace immediately."

Twenty minutes later, they were in the emergency room. The car ride over had helped him recover some of his facilities and he was able to stride up to the reception desk. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Emily Prentiss. I'm Aaron Hotchner."

The receptionist checked her computer screen. "Please wait here, sir, I'll page Dr Grey."

A few minutes later, an attractive blond in her early thirties wearing a doctor's coat came up to him. "Mr Hotchner?"

Hotch stepped up, an unfamiliar wave of fear travelling through him and making him break out in a cold sweat. "I'm Aaron Hotchner."

"Mr Hotchner, I'm Dr Grey, Emily's doctor. Emily's currently undergoing a CT scan and will be out shortly. I'll take you up there."

"What … Are her injuries serious?" he asked as they got into the elevator.

She looked at him levelly, taking a moment to reply. "She's in a serious condition, Mr Hotchner. It appears that her head struck the side window when the other car hit hers and she sustained a moderately severe head injury. The tests that we've carried out so far show that the intercranial pressure in her brain is highly elevated. We've managed to stabilise her for now, but we may need to perform surgery depending on what the CT scans show."

The elevator doors opened and Dr Grey led him down the corridor to one of the private rooms. "Emily will be brought here soon and once we've looked at the scans we'll come and talk to you about what her treatment options are."

Hotch nodded.

"Mr Hotchner, may I ask what your relationship to Emily is?"

"I …," Hotch hesitated. What _was_ his relationship to Emily? "Emily and I have been seeing each other for the last few months." His explanation sounded lame, even to his own ears. It sounded like they were casually dating when that couldn't be further than the truth.

"Well, you're obviously important to her. She put you down as her emergency contact."

He looked into Dr Grey's kind eyes. "We've known each other for some years. Emily and I work together. That's why she's put me down as her emergency contact." Hotch held his jaw together tightly. He would have given anything, everything he owned, for him to never have to be contacted in this manner.

"Mr Hotchner, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but you're not just her emergency contact. She has also named you as having power of attorney in the event she is unable to make decisions concerning her care." Her voice was gentle. "I'm sorry to bring this up, but as it's possible you may need to make decisions on her behalf, I wanted to prepare you."

Hotch stared at her, speechless. He was stunned that Emily had chosen to give him power of attorney, as opposed to her parents, yes, but it was the fact that he might actually have to exercise that power that robbed him of his voice. For the first time since he received the phone call from the hospital the thought occurred to him that he might actually lose her. Suddenly feeling light-headed, he reached out blindly for something to hold on to.

"Whoa, easy there." Dr Grey quickly caught him around his waist and led him to a chair in the room.

Hotch sat down, numbness encasing his entire being. For some reason he had never imagined that he might lose her this way. He lived with the constant fear that she would be hurt or killed in the line of duty, but a car accident had never even occurred to him. Was he cursed? First Haley, then Kate Joyner, and now Emily. Emily, who meant more to him than life itself. _Yeah, she means so much to you that you never told her how you feel,_ mocked his brain. He closed his eyes. _God._ Why didn't he tell her. Why had he been so scared? And now she might die without ever knowing that he loved her.

"Mr Hotchner, here, have a sip of water."

He looked up, taking the cup from Dr Grey numbly. He took a sip of the water almost automatically. Footsteps approached and he turned towards the glass door. A male doctor in his early forties with piercing dark eyes stepped into the room. He looked at Hotch, a serious expression on his face. "Mr Hotchner, I'm Derek Shepherd. I'm the neurosurgeon who will be operating on Emily. I'm sorry you can't see her right now, but we're getting her prepped for surgery. I need to operate on her immediately."

Hotch listened as Dr Shepherd outlined the procedure that he would be carrying out to stop the small haemorrhage in Emily's brain and to relieve the high intracranial pressure. After he finished, he paused. "Emily's situation is serious, Mr Hotchner, I have to be honest with you, but I've seen worse cases and the patients have survived and made a full recovery." The doctor's voice gentled. "So don't give up hope." He looked at Dr Grey. "If you have any questions, Dr Grey will be able to answer them. Dr Grey, I'll see you in surgery shortly." Nodding to Hotch, he left the room.

"Do you have any questions, Mr Hotchner?" Dr Grey looked patiently at him while he tried to think.

"No, no questions, just ..." Panic filled his chest.

"Yes?"

He looked at the compassion in her grey eyes. He clenched his fists as fear and anguish swirled darkly within him, threatening his carefully built defences. "Please save her. I never told her that I love her. So please save her Dr Grey. I can't lose her, not again."

She didn't ask him what he meant but merely nodded, reaching out and taking his hand. "We will do everything we can. Dr Shepherd is the best neurosurgeon on the west coast, Mr Hotchner. Emily is in safe hands. Come with me, I'll show you to the waiting room."

A thought suddenly occurred to him just as she was walking away from the waiting area. "Dr Grey."

"Do you need something, Mr Hotchner?"

"I'm sorry, I know you need to get to surgery, but I have to see her. Just for a few seconds."

She opened her mouth to reply and he knew from the look on her face what she was about to say.

"I need to tell her that I love her. Please," he said hoarsely, heart thudding with anxiety. He had to tell Emily, even if she couldn't hear him, he had to tell her.

Dr Grey hesitated, looking torn. "Mr Hotchner, we really don't have time."

"Please," he repeated. If he had to, he would beg.

She looked at him for a moment. "Fine, let's go. We need to hurry."

Hotch jerked on a gown and cap, noticing that his hands were trembling as he did so. He had never seen his hands unsteady. Not even the day he had confronted Foyet.

Dr Grey led him into the operating theatre and it was then that he had his first sight of Emily. Clenching his jaw, he walked closer. She was paler than he had ever seen her and he drew a sharp breath at the blood soaked bandage at her temple.

"Mr Hotchner, you need to say what you came to say now." Dr Grey was gentle, but firm.

Nodding, he bent his head so that his mouth was level with Emily's ear. "Emily, there's so much I want to say to you and I'm sorry I didn't say any of it." His voice was hoarse with suppressed emotion. "I just need you to know that I love you. I love you more than any words can express and I'm so sorry I never told you. _Please_ come back to me. Because I'll be waiting right here for you."

It was only after a nurse led him out of the operating theatre that he realised that he was crying, the mask over his nose and mouth damp with tears.

* * *

><p>Hotch stirred, wincing as he straightened up in the armchair. His eyes immediately jerked up to check on Emily. It was now almost 48 hours after the surgery but she was still lying on the bed with her eyes closed. He rubbed a hand wearily over his face. Dr Grey had told him that it might take anywhere between 36 to 72 hours before she regained consciousness. He wasn't sure if he could take another 24 hours of waiting.<p>

The team had flown in yesterday and had sat vigil outside all day. As it was currently almost midnight, they were back at the motel. Hotch had promised to call them when he had news. He reached over and took Emily's hand in his, looking down at it as he drew his fingers gently over her short nails. Because of this, he missed seeing her eyelids move. It was only when she emitted a soft moan that his gaze leapt up to her face. Her eyelids fluttered.

"Emily?" He barely dared to hope. Was she waking up? And if she did, would she still have all her faculties intact? While he had waited for her to become conscious, the list of possible adverse outcomes that Shepherd had listed played through his mind over and over despite his valiant efforts to keep his fears at bay. In the end, he knew it didn't matter because he loved her. They didn't need to be married for him to know that their lives would be forever intertwined. He would never leave her no matter what the outcome was. He couldn't because she held his heart. He was an empty shell without her. He pressed the call button and then called Emily's name again, more urgently this time.

Her eyes slowly drifted open and he swallowed hard when there was no immediate recognition in them after she focussed her gaze on his face.

"Emily, it's me, Aaron." He touched her cheek, the barest of touches with his fingertips. "I'm right here, like I promised you."

She blinked once. Twice. "A..Aaron?" Recognition dawned in her eyes and he had to clench his teeth together to keep his tears of joy and relief at bay. _Thank you, God._

"I'm here, sweetheart."

"Wh..what happened?" Her voice was less than a whisper, but he heard every word.

"You were in an accident and you're in the hospital."

She looked at him, brow furrowed as she tried to process what he had just told her. Just then Dr Grey walked into the room, a smile forming immediately on her face when she saw Emily.

"Hello Emily. I'm Dr Grey. It's good to see that you're awake."

Hotch watched as she shone a light in Emily's eyes and checked her vitals.

"Well, everything's looking really good. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've got a massive hangover after an epic night out."

Hotch was amazed at the clarity of the words Emily had just uttered. _That's my girl_, he thought proudly. He drew her hand to his mouth and pressed a gentle kiss on the back of it. She turned and smiled at him and he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He had been so terrified that he would never see her eyes looking into his again.

"Well, your sense of humour's intact, that's a good sign. I need to run you through some tests to check your brain function but first I need to let Dr Shepherd know that you're conscious. And speak of the devil."

They all looked up at Shepherd's entrance. "Emily. I'm Dr Shepherd, I was the one who operated on you." He shone a light into her eyes and straightened up. "Headache?"

Emily nodded once. "Like you won't believe."

"Dr Grey will sort that out for you. We need to do some tests, but you seem to be doing very well." He smiled. "I'm sorry we had to shave a small part of your head, but your hair will grow back and cover the scar."

Emily turned and looked at Hotch. "So do I have as many scars as you do yet?" she asked, to the bemusement of the two doctors.

He shook his head. "Not yet. But you're catching up fast." He smiled at her before looking up. "We're federal agents," he explained.

Dr Grey's eyebrows shot up. "Oh wow. That explains the scar on your abdomen," she said to Emily.

"Mm ... that was a whopper. But you should see ... Aaron's body."

Hotch looked at her, his chest tightening with anxiety when her voice faltered. She looked slightly paler than she did a moment ago.

"Don't worry, it's completely normal, she's just exhausted and her brain is still healing." Dr Shepherd looked at Hotch. "Mr … Agent Hotchner, why don't you go home and get some rest. Emily's in good hands. She's just going to get some sleep now. I suggest you do the same and come back in the morning."

Hotch hesitated. He didn't want to leave her. Because even though he didn't want to admit it, he still possessed the irrational fear that she could somehow be torn away from him and if he was there, he could stop it from happening.

"It's okay, I'll be fine. Go get some rest," whispered Emily.

The doctors retreated to give them some privacy.

"Are you sure, Emily?" He was worried, and he didn't bother hiding it.

"I'm sure. I don't have any plans to leave you. You're not going to get away that easily." She gave him a weak smile.

"Who says I want to get away?" He paused, eyes locked on her face. "I love you," he said quietly. Seriously.

"Oh Aaron," she breathed, staring at him, her lips trembling. "I love you too," she whispered.

He gave her an unsteady smile and bending down, pressed his lips tenderly to hers. He straightened up. "I'll see you first thing in the morning okay?"

"Okay."

He released her hand reluctantly and slowly walked out of the room, lifting up his hand in farewell when he saw that her gaze had followed him. When he was finally out of sight, he stopped, finally allowing a wave of relief to spread through him. He closed his eyes as the fear that had been residing in his stomach like a ball of lead slowly dissolved until he suddenly felt like he could breathe normally again. Function normally again.

Exhaling, he walked towards the elevator. There was something he had to do. But first, he needed to tell the team the good news.

**Some lighthearted moments with the BAU ladies next chapter as they ogle unashamedly at the doctors *grin* Please leave me a review for this chapter if you can.**

**Also, the final ballot is up for the CM Profiler's Choice Awards on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum under this show. PLEASE go and vote for your favourite author and fics, I certainly will be! Voting closes November 30th.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you everyone for your reviews, glad you enjoyed the last chapter and apologies that I have not had time to reply personally. I'm on a roll with the CM/GA crossover chapters, so here's Emily and McSteamy. Thanks MIKA, I used your idea that Emily and Mark had a past connection, it turned out to be great fun to write :)**

**And Tigereye77, here's a little bit of jealous Hotch just for you.**

"Emily Grace Prentiss."

Emily froze. _No. Freaking. Way._ She looked up from her magazine and a huge smile broke out on her face. "Oh my God. Mark Matthew Luke Sloan? Is that you?" If she had been the squealing sort, she would have squealed. Mark had been her best friend when they were both at Georgetown.

"In the flesh," he said grinning as he came over and gave her a hug. "Hi sweetness." He had called her that ever since he discovered her love of desserts all those years ago.

She shook her head in amazement as she stared at her old friend. "How is it I had no idea you work here? Wait, you work here, right?" she asked, looking down at the name embroidered on his coat.

"Sure do, four years now. I've been away on a conference and only came back last night. When I saw you name on one of the charts, I came straight away to see if it was you." He gave her a warm look. "How are you feeling? You're looking incredibly well for someone whose suffered a brain injury."

"I'm feeling okay. I think I'm just naturally resilient."

He shook his head. "I still can't believe you're here. When was the last time I saw you?"

"At least 6 years ago. I think I was still stationed in Cleveland. It was the night you hooked up with that the brunette and the redhead, remember?"

Mark squinted, obviously trying to recall the occasion.

"For goodness sake," groaned Emily. "Have you seriously had that many _m__énages à trois _that you don't remember? So much for your mother naming you after three Catholic saints. Some things never change." Her tone was dry.

He shrugged, laughing. "Hey, it's not my fault that I'm an incredibly good looking guy and an amazingly successful surgeon. Oh, I'm still looking for that perfect woman, by the way. You interested?"

She gave him an incredulous look. "I think you've mistaken me for one of your groupies. I was there when you slept with the whole female population of the freshman year, remember?"

"With the exception of you, as I recall. To my everlasting devastation." He grabbed his heart, pretending to look pained.

"I'd advise you not to give up your day job," drawled Emily. "The staff might think you're in the midst of a heart attack. You're not that young any more, you know."

Mark winced. "Ouch, I can't believe you're still trying to deflate my poor little ego after all these years."

"Haha," Emily exclaimed loudly. "Your poor little ego, my ass. Bet you still think you're the best plastic surgeon on the west coast."

"I _am_ the best plastic surgeon on the west coast. As well as being the top otolaryngologist." He answered this in a matter of fact tone.

That would be right, thought Emily, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "So, really, no Mrs Mark Sloan?"

"Yeah, there were a couple of candidates for while there, but they didn't work out." He gave a casual shrug but Emily could see the underlying pain.

"Oh Mark, I'm sorry to hear that." Despite all her teasing, the affection she had for him was genuine. Underneath his charming lady killer exterior was a compassionate man and a loyal friend. "You deserve happiness."

"Thanks, Prentiss. So, tell me how's it going being a feeb?" He grinned, knowing full well she hated that term.

"Loving it." She ignored his attempt to get a rise out of her.

"And is there a Mr Prentiss?"

"Possibly," she said coyly.

"No way! Come on, tell Dr Mark all about him." He settled back in the armchair, looking like he setting down roots. "What does he do?"

"I work with him." She expected Mark to tease her about this fact, but he surprised her by nodding.

"That's understandable, you spend a lot of time together, it's bound to happen."

She narrowed her eyes. "Guess that's a common occurrence around here, huh?"

"You have no idea," he replied, tone wry. "It's like a living, breathing embodiment of General Hospital."

Emily laughed. "Wow, you've just made my life sound incredibly boring despite the constant presence of psychopaths, sociopaths and sexual deviants."

"I don't know how you deal with that day in and day out, so kudos to you. Getting back to the subject at hand though, this colleague, it's serious?"

Emily gave him a smile, unable to hide how happy she was. "Yes," she replied simply.

"Wedding bells, then?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know. Hopefully." She couldn't imagine anything that would make her happier than being able to spend the rest of her life with Hotch and Jack.

"Just don't forget that you've only got a handful of child bearing years left. No time to lose there, sweetness." His eyes were twinkling.

"Thanks Doctor Mark, I'll keep that in mind," she said drily. "At the moment, we're just having a lot of fun practising." She grinned at the intrigued look on her friend's face.

"From the smile on your face, you _must _be having lots of fun. Hmm ... what can two FBI agents get up to? Handcuffs?" he teased, obviously trying to get a rise out of her.

"Among other things," she replied serenely, before laughing out loud at his reaction to her reply. In the past he had often related details of his intimate encounters to her whether she wanted to hear it or not. Usually not. She, on the other hand, had made it a practice to never divulge anything relating to her sex life to Mark. So to say he was stunned was an understatement.

"Emily Prentiss, you little she-devil," he murmured admiringly. "I – " At that moment his pager beeped. He took it out of his pocket and checked the message. "Sorry babe, I gotta go, a colleague needs a consult." He stood up and bent down to give her a tight hug. "It was really good seeing you. I'll come see you again when I'm free," he murmured, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Emily smiled at him when he straightened up. "Sounds good."

"And I want to meet this man of yours," he said as he headed towards the door. He was looking at her while he spoke and as a result failed to notice the dark-haired man standing motionless in the doorway. Mark managed to stop just in time.

"You sure you want to meet him?" muttered Emily under her breath when she saw the look of thunder on Hotch's face. She hurriedly pasted a smile on her face. "Aaron, this is Mark Sloan, an old friend of mine. Mark, this is Aaron."

"Good to meet you," said Mark enthusiastically, holding out his hand.

Hotch was slow in taking it, his silence extremely telling.

Mark cleared his throat in the awkward moment that followed. "Well, I have to go, so I'll leave you with sweetness, uh, Emily."

Hotch's right hand moved involuntarily toward his belt and Mark's eyes shot down to it as if he was expecting to see a gun there. Emily suppressed a groan as the ridiculous antics of the two males. "See you later, Mark," she called out, trying to get him to leave. Because the love of her life was currently staring at Mark like he was an arch-nemesis whom Hotch had vowed to destroy. Ah, the joys of dating an alpha male.

Mark shot her a weak smile and hurriedly edged past Hotch. Emily watched, her face blank of expression as Hotch walked into the room. He set down a shopping bag on her overbed table before speaking.

"Who was that?" The expression on his face was still dark.

"I told you, Mark's an old friend."

Hotch looked at her, jaw tight. "And by friend, you mean ..."

"I mean friend, not lover. Mark and I went to Georgetown at the same time." She almost added that they were best friends at the time, but thought better of it.

"You're close then?" The question was rhetorical.

"Yes," she said carefully.

"You haven't mentioned him before." His voice was cool, clipped.

"No," she replied easily. "But I haven't mentioned a lot of people. Besides, Mark and I haven't seen each other in years."

"Didn't stop him putting his hands all over you."

Emily blinked at the flash of jealousy in his eyes. She bit her lip, knowing that she should feel annoyed, outraged even, at his reaction. Someone was probably going to sic the feminists on her. Because to tell the truth, she was flattered. And pleased. She had never been the cause of jealousy before. And what jealousy this was. She held out a hand to him and smiled softly.

Hotch stood there, looking grimly at her for a handful of seconds before finally taking her hand. She tugged at him until he was seating on her bed next to her.

Cupping his face in her hands, she looked intently into his eyes. "I love you Aaron Hotchner. No one else. Mark Sloan is just a friend, always has been, always will be. There is no one else except you."

His eyes darkened. "He's just a friend?"

"A mere friend, nothing more. In fact, I'd say he's almost an acquaintance," she murmured, smiling as his lips drew closer.

Hotch kissed her. "Actually, we're practically strangers." He kissed her again, harder this time. They drew a breath. "I barely even know the man." Their next kiss was deep and long and hot. "Um ... who were we talking about again?" asked Emily breathlessly when Hotch finally lifted his head.

He chuckled. He gently smoothed her hair off the bandage on her forehead. "Sorry for being a jackass."

"As long as you're _my_ jackass," she replied, smiling up at him.

"I doubt anyone else wants an old jackass with a permanent frown. So I guess I'm all yours." He gave her a lopsided smile.

She slid her hands around the back of his neck, her fingers playing with the short hair at the nape. "You better be. If you thought you were jealous then, just watch me if I catch another woman trying to sink her claws into you."

His eyebrows rose, amusement dancing in his eyes. "And what do you intend to do if that unlikely event ever happens?"

"Dismemberment of said claws, then hanged, disembowelled, drawn and quartered," she answered with relish.

Hotch burst out laughing, pressing a kiss on her forehead. "What a bloodthirsty wench you are. No more watching The Tudors. It's giving you way too many violent ideas," he said, deadpan. He got off the bed and sat down on the visitor chair.

"I just adore that show. What?" she asked when he started frowning again.

"Nothing." He sounded distracted. "Just concerned about the level of the care at this hospital. Because apparently medical expertise isn't the only criterion for employment here." She followed the direction of his narrowed gaze. Right outside her room were two very attractive male doctors in their thirties who were carrying on a conversation, presumably about her, seeing as they were glancing repeatedly in her direction.

Emily smiled with delight as she settled back against her pillows. "I thought the navy doctors at Bethesda were cute. But I gotta say the ones at this hospital leave them totally in the dust."

***grinning* The last two doctors were Alex Karev and Jackson Avery. Hope you enjoyed that. I'm sorry, I know I was going to write about the ladies this chapter but McSteamy stole the scene. So the ladies are up next, plus Reid. Please review, I love hearing from you!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Last CM/GA crossover chapter, everyone! Sincere apologies, I was rather uninspired when I wrote this, so apologies for not doing a great job. On the bright side, I have written a couple of other fics, one of which will include the Hotch in handcuffs scene some of you requested. Ah, I have such a twisted mind ;P**

**And thank you, greengirl82, for allowing me to use your GA name for Hotch.  
><strong>

"I am rating this the number one show for eye candy this year." Pene popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth, her eyes riveted on the action before her.

"Damn, look at those biceps," breathed JJ, leaning forward for a better look.

"Never mind the biceps, check out the butts," came Emily's reply.

"Hey guys, what are you doing out here?" None of them could have missed Reid's voice as he came up and sat down on the bench next to them. However, not a single female bothered to turn around to acknowledge him. So intent were they on the sight in front of them. "I didn't know any of you liked basketball."

"We're not here for the basketball, Reid." Emily adjusted the position of her wheelchair and put her hand out for the popcorn. Pene passed the bowl over to her.

"Then what … oh." Realisation dawned in his voice.

The four of them watched the two teams of three doctors each throw, catch, dribble and score for the next few minutes.

"Should you be out here, Emily?" Reid finally broke the silence.

"Well, my surgeon says it's okay." Emily answered in a distracted tone. What a _damn_ _fine_ group of men. She watched as Mark leapt up and dunked. "Woo! Good shot, Sloan!" she called out.

"Is that your surgeon?" asked Reid. JJ passed him the popcorn and he took a handful.

"No, that's Emily's best friend from college, Dr Mark Sloan. The female doctors refer to him as McSteamy." Pene told him knowledgeably, a bright smile on her face.

Reid looked puzzled. "O..kay. Um, why?"

"On account of his smoking good looks of course, my little genius."

"Oh, ri..ght."

Emily shot Reid a grin at his dubious sounding reply. "The one with the most beautiful head of hair I've ever seen on a man is my doctor. McDreamy." She sighed. She might just have the tiniest crush on him. A teensy weensy one. Who wouldn't, with a doctor like that?

"Wait, the female _doctors_ refer to them that way?" Reid sounded disbelieving. "That's a form of sexual objectification."

"Thank goodness for it, because otherwise I'd be going stir crazy. Can you believe they're all qualified surgeons? Well, except for the other dark blonde guy. Mark says he's a psychiatrist specialising in the treatment of PTSD. Apparently he flies around providing his services at places where there've been natural disasters, mass casualties or trauma."

"We've named him McGallant. As in a modern knight in shining armour." Pene passed Reid a packet of peanut butter M&M's.

"I wonder if he provides _other_ services as part of his treatment," JJ interjected. The females snickered.

Pene continued with her nickname spiel. "The one with the dark skin and buzzcut we've named McHottie, self explanatory. The other guy with buzzcut is McScowly, cute, but doesn't look very happy. And the guy with the red hair and very nice calves is the Chief of Surgery, so we're just calling him Chief."

"Did you really have to give them all nicknames? What's wrong with referring to their real names?" Reid looked puzzled.

"Well, that won't make it any fun, Reid," said Emily patiently.

"Ooh, ooh, McHottie's about to score," Pene interrupted their conversation. "_Nice!_" She clapped loudly.

"I still don't think it's the right thing to do. I mean, they're medical professionals. They should be treated with respect." Reid apparently couldn't get past the fact that the three of them were ogling men who routinely performed surgeries which determined the difference between life and death.

The three females gave him identical incredulous looks.

Emily spoke first. "Reid, will you lighten up? It's a bit of fun, okay? We're not serious."

"Yeah, no need to deflate our fun balloon, McBrainy," added Pene.

Emily looked at her friend. "Really? I was thinking more McSkinny."

Pene's brow furrowed in thought while Reid spluttered in protest. "Mm … maybe McKnow-It-All."

JJ and Emily laughed uproariously.

"You guys are hilarious." Reid looked totally unimpressed.

"Ah, here comes my serious half, McBroody himself," murmured Emily, lifting her hand to wave at Hotch.

Reid cleared his throat as the other two females tried to stifle their laughs.

Hotch arrived, glancing at the basketball court before giving Emily a brief kiss. He sat down on the bench on the other side of her. "How did I guess you were all going to be out here. Again." His tone was dry.

"What? You mean this isn't the first time?" Reid looked surprised.

"Number four." Emily gave him a smile filled with mischief.

"You don't have a problem with them doing this, Hotch?" Reid shot his supervisor a look of disbelief.

"You mean sexually objectifying the men in that court? No, I can't say I do," answered Hotch in a mild tone.

"I don't understand why – " Reid started to say before Emily interrupted.

"It's okay, Reid, Hotch doesn't mind because he knows we don't mean anything by it and more importantly, he knows that he's my one and only personal sex object." She winked at Reid, who flushed bright red.

Hotch appeared to take pity on Reid. "Come on, Reid, let's go get some coffee and leave these three to their entertainment."

Emily grinned at her Unit Chief. "Thanks honey, you're the best."

He gave her a wry look as he stood up. "I really don't know why I let you get away with so much."

"'Cos I'm worth it. _And_ I almost died," she replied cheekily.

"You're really milking that for all it's worth, aren't you?"

"Every last drop."

He shook his head before leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you back in your room." He looked at JJ and Pene. "Try not to let her get too hot and bothered, will you?" he directed before walking away with Reid, leaving the two blondes giggling and Emily rolling her eyes at his back.

She reached over and grabbed more popcorn, then turned back to look at the group of deliciously hot and sweaty doctors. "Now, ladies, where were we?"

Pene gasped. "Oh my gosh, they're coming over. The uber hot docs are _coming!_" The doctors on the court had finished their game and were variously gathering their belongings and walking towards the BAU ladies.

Emily grinned at one of her best friends. "Calm down PG, don't start hyperventilating now. Although ..." her voice trailed off as she pretended to put on a thoughtful expression to tease her friend.

"If I faint I want McHottie to resuscitate me, okay?" Pene's eyes were wide as she watched the doctors approach.

"Em, I think I have a serious crush on your friend," murmured JJ, a small smile on her face as she stared at Mark.

"All right, ladies, wipe the drool off your faces, here they come."

"Hey Prentiss, did you enjoy our game?" called out Mark as he drew level with them.

"We sure did, thanks for inviting us. These are my friends, Penelope Garcia and Jennifer Jareau."

"Ladies," Mark spoke in a deep voice, flashing them a practised grin. Emily suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She really hoped JJ and Pene weren't looking too googly-eyed. "And these are my colleagues, Derek Shepherd, neurosurgeon extraodinaire, Owen Hunt, our Chief of Surgery, Avery, my protege, Karev from paeds and Andrew Perkins, visiting psych attending."

"Ladies." The doctors smiled, nodding their acknowledgement of the introductions.

"Hello," chorused the three females, laughing when they realised what they had done.

"Agent Prentiss, ladies, would you please excuse Dr Perkins and I, we need to get ready for a meeting. It's been a pleasure meeting a lady friend of Sloan's who's not an actual conquest." Emily laughed at the look Owen shot at Mark. Mark narrowed his eyes at the Chief.

"It was nice meeting you too, Dr Hunt. Dr Perkins." Her gaze followed them as they walked away. "So, is Dr Perkins's mind as good as his looks?" asked Emily.

"Better," answered Derek. "Not that Sloan would ever admit it. He thinks Perkins is his competition, for some reason." There was a twinkle in his eye. Emily smiled, she liked Derek. Not only was he a gifted surgeon, he actually cared about his patients. And he loved teasing Mark. That alone was enough to make her feel a connection with him.

"You'd never know from looking at him but he does have some insecurities." Emily gave Mark a teasing smile.

"All right, Emily, shut up now before I set it up so that your boyfriend walks in on us kissing," Mark drawled.

"Ha, as if you'd dare," she retorted. "I saw the fear in your eyes when you eyed Aaron's belt the other day. He wasn't even armed. I'm disappointed in you, Sloan, I thought you had more balls."

Mark looked at his male colleagues. "Oh, _come on_, would any of you stand up to an armed Federal Agent who had the look of death in his eyes?" Derek and Avery chuckled. Even Karev was sporting a small smile on his face. Mark turned his gaze back to Emily. "Sweetness, I seriously don't know what you see in Mr Gloom and Doom. I think you'd be much happier with someone who has a more light hearted disposition, say me, for instance."

"I'm sorry to say you're too late, Dr Sloan." JJ stood up and Mark's eyes immediately admired her slim form. "Emily belongs heart and soul to our Unit Chief."

Mark held out a hand to help her step over a bench. "I think I could live with that as long as you agree to have lunch with me."

JJ grinned. "I'd be more than happy to have lunch with you, as long as it's a friends only lunch. I have a fiancee and a child."

"Damn! Why are all the sexy FBI agents taken?" Mark turned his gaze to Pene. "How about you, Ms Garcia?"

"I'm sorry, I am also, as you put it, taken." She flashed him an apologetic smile. "But, speaking of being taken, I do need something taken off. Dr Avery," she stood up, taking his arm, "I hear you are very talented, could I ask for your opinion on a somewhat sensitive topic?" Pene started to lead him away, a bemused expression on his face. "So I have this mole ..." Emily heard her friend start to say before her voice faded into the distance.

Mark held out his arm for JJ, who took it after less than a second's hesitation. He smiled down at her as they walked towards the hospital. "So, was there something you'd like fixed as well?" Emily heard him murmur.

She rolled her eyes. And she thought Morgan was bad. Just then she caught sight of a female waving at them from a distance.

Derek looked down at her. "Excuse me, Emily. I'll see you later this afternoon, okay?"

"Sure." Emily observed as he jogged up the path towards the woman who looked like Dr Grey. She raised her eyebrows when he bent down and gave her a kiss. "So they're ..."

Karev started to push her along. "Yep, they're married."

"Wow, how did I not catch that. I must be off my game."

"I won't worry, it's likely just a short term effect of your brain trauma."

There was silence for while as he guided her towards the hospital entrance. Obviously Karev wasn't one to make small talk.

"So," asked Emily, "you like it in paeds?" She couldn't say that specialty would have been her first guess for him.

"Surprisingly yes."

"Just a tip, Karev, take it from someone whose boyfriend takes frowning to a whole new level. Lighten up on the scowl, it's not pretty and it scares the kids." She turned to look up at him, smiling to soften her words. "Capiche?"

A corner of his mouth lifted up reluctantly. "Capiche."

Just as they reached her room, Emily caught sight of the food trolley further down the corridor. "Oh lucky me, just in time for dinner. I wonder if it's going to be tuna casserole sprinkled with raw onions or super dry roast chicken, my personal favourite."

**Thanks for reading. A very sweet chapter up next. The end is in sight!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hi everyone, I have been so busy lately that I completely forgot to reply to your reviews, so many apologies for that! Thanks so much though, I loved receiving each and every one of them. This is the second last chapter, so I thought it was time I went back to the beginning, so to speak. So here are some emails and some text messaging. And something sweet ...  
><strong>

One month later ...

_My dearest BeautyAndBrains,_

_It's been a while since I called you that, huh? *smile* I thought I'd send you an email seeing that we haven't had the chance to talk today. I've only just got back to the hotel and it's almost 11 a.m. which means that it's almost 2 a.m. in D.C. It's been a difficult day, our interview with the first inmate was not productive, and as a result it took Reid and I almost twice as long as expected to complete the questionnaire._

_How's Jack? I hope he's going okay. Thanks for staying with him while I'm away, he loves being with you, as you know. And I'm glad that we can give Jess a break. Just promise me that you won't be a hero and ask her for help if you need it all right? You're not completely recovered from the accident and the surgery yet. There's a reason why you're still on medical leave. How was your rehab session yesterday? I know you're worried about the residual weakness in your left hand but the therapist did say that it will improve and that it will be back to full strength in a couple of months' time. Strauss has approved you coming back to work on restricted duties until then, which will be good as we've been swamped lately. _

_And of course there is the minor issue of me missing you. After having you back for all these months, I suddenly had to get used to the fact that you weren't around again and it was hard. At least this time round I know that you would be coming back, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I'd rather you didn't leave again for extended periods of time. So don't get hurt again okay? I know, I know, it's beyond your control, but I just needed to say it._

_My dinner's just arrived, so I have to go. I should be home around seven tomorrow night. Can't wait to see you and Jack._

_I love you._

_Your Aaron_

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><p><em>My darling StoicByNature,<em>

_Have only just gotten back from taking Jack to school. It's still early in LA, so I didn't want to call and disturb your beauty sleep, you need all the rest you can get. I'm sorry you guys have been so busy, I wish I could help, you know I hate seeing you stressed out. But until I'm cleared for work I guess all I can do is laze around the house in my pyjamas watching Days of Our Lives, baking and of course, look after Jack. Which I love. You know I adore him, so it's really been a pleasure for me. We've got our routine down pat now. He helps me out with dinner every night which I think makes him feel very proud that he's contributed to the final result._

_Jack's great company and he makes me laugh a lot, but I still miss you. The bed feels so empty when you're not there. I must admit I feel a little odd about 'sleeping over' when you're not here. I think we need to talk about what our expectations are relationship-wise when you get back, because Jack's starting to wonder about us. Last night, he asked if I could come and live with you guys because I admitted that I "really liked" you. Although it be because I cook two of his favourite dishes incredibly well. And let him have ice-cream for dessert. I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, he's just such a sweet little boy and both of us needed something to cheer us up because we missed you so much._

_Onto more boring news, my rehab session went well. My left hand is getting stronger and Susan says that I can start to go on short runs again soon. That will be good because I'm sure I've put on a few pounds since being home. At least the hospital food was usually unappetising. Now I'm home, and not at work, I can have whatever my little heart (or rather stomach) desires. Not good. I'm so looking forward to going back to work. I'll actually get to use my brain and of course I get to see you. You are like chocolate for my eyes, do you know that? The super expensive, very rich, dark kind. I'm missing you so much at the moment, it's painful. I think I've said that three times now. Gosh I'm pathetic._

_Can't wait to see you tomorrow night. I love you too._

_Your Emily_

* * *

><p>A week later ...<p>

Hotch's cell vibrated. He glanced around before unobtrusively reaching into the pocket of his jacket. Fortunately, he was sitting near the back of the meeting room. He looked down at the screen.

Emily Prentiss: _Hey handsome! How's the meeting?_

Aaron Hotchner: _Pretty sure it's smashed any and all previous records of 'Most Boring Meeting of All Time'._

Emily Prentiss: _Ooh, I'm bored too. Wanna have some cyber sex?_

Aaron Hotchner: _Extremely tempting, but I might have a hard time explaining away a boner since we're talking about the third draft of the new strategic plan._

Emily Prentiss: _Spoilsport *pout* Okay, no cyber sex. Hey, how about I tell you what I'm doing to myself and you can just read and enjoy. No participation required._

Aaron Hotchner: _Please r__efer to previous text._

Emily Prentiss: _LOL. Are you coming home for dinner?_

Aaron Hotchner: _Depends whether I expire from boredom in the next 55 minutes. But yes. What's for dinner? Roast lamb and all the trimmings?_

Emily Prentiss: _I know that's your favourite, honey, but since Jack's having a sleepover at Cameron's tonight, I was thinking that dinner could be more along the lines of me and Hershey Kisses gelato._

Aaron Hotchner: _Ahem *casually putting folder on my lap* You have a wicked mind, Agent Prentiss._

Emily Prentiss: _That's why you love me, sir *batting eyelashes*_

Aaron Hotchner: _I better go. Strauss just gave me the evil eye._

Emily Prentiss: _All right. But I am _so_ going to send you dirty texts next time you're in a meeting with her._

Aaron Hotchner: _You're such a naughty girl._

Emily Prentiss: _Does that mean you're going to spank me when you get home?_

Aaron Hotchner: _Hershey Kisses gelato and spanking. Pretty sure no one else in this room, or possibly in Virginia, is as lucky as me. Can't wait. Gotta go. Love you._

Emily Prentiss: _Love you more._

Aaron Hotchner: _Love you most._

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><p>Hotch closed the door behind him, dropping his briefcase on the coffee table. "Hello! I'm looking for Agent Kinky, is she around?"<p>

"In here."

He smiled as he walked towards the kitchen. Despite Emily saying that she and the gelato were going to be the only items on the menu, she had still gone ahead and made the lamb roast, which was what he could smell. God, he loved her. The moment he saw the smile on her face he felt the tension of the day immediately disappear. That was the effect she had on him. "Hi sweetheart." He gave her a leisurely kiss, hearing her hum in pleasure as she twined her arms around his neck.

"Well, he..llo," Emily murmured. "What brought that on?"

Hotch drew back slightly and looked downwards. She followed his gaze and saw the slogan on the apron which said 'Kiss the Cook'. Under it she wore one of his favourite dresses of hers, the red wraparound dress. "Oh yeah, I forgot." She grinned at him. "Dinner's almost ready, do you want to get changed first?"

"I thought you said you were going to be my dinner. Does that mean ..." his voice trailed off and he didn't attempt hiding his look of disappointment.

"No, honey, this just means you get me _and_ the gelato for dessert." She gave him a wink.

He walked to the fridge and opening it, reached in and removed a bottle of champagne.

"I thought we were going to save that for your birthday." Emily opened the oven and pulled out the baking dish containing the rack of lamb. She put it on the stove top to rest while she took out the roast potatoes from the oven.

"I feel like having a little celebration tonight."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow at him as she drained the runner beans. "What's the occasion?"

_Pop!_ The cork came off and Hotch poured some champagne into two glasses. "No occasion. I'm alone with the woman I love and tomorrow's the weekend. That's celebration enough for me." He was glad that he had managed to make his voice sound casual.

When she turned her back on him to take the dinner plates out from the overhead cabinet, he reached into his pocket and quickly removed a box, dropping the object inside the box into her glass. He walked over to the table and put their glasses down.

A few minutes later they were both seated at the table, the beautifully plated roast lamb in front of them.

"How about a toast?" Hotch picked up his glass and watched as Emily followed suit. She suddenly became motionless, her mouth parting as she stared at the glass in her hand.

* * *

><p>"A..Aaron? What's this?" Emily's voice was a mere whisper. Her eyes slowly lifted up to his. Was she dreaming or was this really happening? She couldn't tell, everything suddenly felt so surreal.<p>

Hotch got up and walked over to her. Taking the champagne flute from her unresisting fingers, he tilted the glass so that the ring slid to the side of the flute, then reached in with his fingers to remove the ring. "This is an engagement ring." Her heart pounded fiercely in her ears as she watched him kneel down on one knee next to her chair and take her left hand in his. He slipped the ring onto her ring finger, and keeping hold of her hand, looked up at her, his dark eyes serious.

"After Haley died, I never expected that I would ever find another woman that I would consider sharing my life and Jack's life with. I certainly never expected to fall head over heels in love with a colleague. Emily, you are the strongest woman I know. You are compassionate, kind, loyal, funny, incredibly smart and one of the best agents I have ever met. I certainly don't deserve you and I know that I'm not a great catch. Far from it. You know each and every one of my flaws, inside and out. But I'm hoping that you'll overlook them to see the man that's kneeling before you, offering you everything he is and ever will be." Hotch paused, looking searchingly at her.

"I love you, Emily. More than words can ever express. If you give me the chance, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to make you happy for as long as I am lucky enough to have you. Emily Prentiss, will you marry me?"

While he was speaking, tears had slowly started to well in her eyes until he was now only a blurry figure in front of her. She quickly blinked, the tears travelling down her cheeks in twin paths. She nodded, trying to keep back the tears that she knew were still waiting in the wings. "Yes, Aaron, yes I'll marry you."

The radiant joy that lit up his face at her answer was something that she would never forget as long as she lived. He drew her face down to his and kissed her with such fervour that she laughed into his mouth, slipping her arms around him and holding him tightly to her. Hotch finally drew back and took her left hand in his. "Do you like the ring?" He looked up at her. "Because if you don't, we can go and exchange it for something you like."

Emily looked down at the brilliant diamond solitaire which was set into a square channel set white gold band. "I love it. It's perfect." She smile at him through her tears. "But not as perfect as you."

He started to shake his head in denial, but she cupped his face in her hands. "I love you, Aaron Hotchner. I know you don't see it, but you are the most wonderful man I have ever met. You're strong, loyal to a fault, an incredible father and best of all, you can cut through bullshit like soft butter." She laughed teasingly and the corners of his mouth lifted up. She sobered, looking at him seriously. "I would be honoured to be your wife," she said softly.

"Soon then? I want us to be a family and I don't want to waste any more time."

"Just say the word." She too, didn't want to waste any more time. They had waited for each other, albeit unknowingly, for long enough. "But, can we not tell the team yet? I just want to savour this period of time for a little while before Pene starts offering to help me with the wedding planning and everything. I love her, but planning a wedding isn't exactly my thing."

"Whatever you like, sweetheart." Hotch stood up and gave her a brief kiss. "Now how about we have the lamb before it gets completely cold."

She grinned at him as he sat back down. "Wow, it _is_ true that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I wonder if you would have proposed if it had only been my body that was available for dinner."

"I still would have proposed, as long as I got to _eat _you," he replied suggestively, picking up his knife and fork.

"Ooh, naughty!" Emily flashed him a wicked look as she took a sip of her champagne. "I think you're the one that needs to be spanked, not me. And then we can use the gelato on those deliciously warm bits after I'm done." She looked at him, smiling inwardly. "I'll take your stunned silence as a yes. You better eat up, honey, you're going to need your strength tonight."

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><p><strong>I think I'm the one who's naughty ;P Please leave me a review if you can. <strong>

**Thank you to all those who nominated me and my fics for the CM Profiler's Choice Awards. If you are of the mind to vote, please go to the CM Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum to cast your vote. Thanks so much!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Here we are guys, the final instalment of this fic. Thank you ALL so much for reading this, and especially a HUGE thanks to all my loyal readers, reviewers and fellow authors. I couldn't have done it without your support and encouragement. As I said to some of you, I never intended this fic to go beyond Hotch and Emily's first meeting, so before you feel too sad that this fic has ended, remember that it is almost three times the length it was supposed to be! **

**Anyway I do hope you enjoyed it. Also, please go to the CM Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forums to vote for your favourite authors and fics in the CM Profiler's Choice Awards. We authors would be really grateful.**

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><p>"Hotch? Emily?"<p>

Derek stood outside the front door to the two-bedroom apartment the duo were staying while they participated in a violent crimes conference in Augusta for the last two and a half days. Coincidentally, the rest of the team had been called for a consult in Portland yesterday. The UnSub was apprehended early that afternoon and as it was a Friday, they decided that they would join Hotch and Emily in Augusta before flying back to D.C. later that night.

After hearing nothing, Derek knocked again. "Guys? You in there?" They should be there, their standard issue SUV on loan from the field office was parked in front of the building downstairs. Before arriving at the apartment, he had tried calling both Hotch's and Emily's cells a number of times but there had been no answer. So neither one of them were expecting the team to turn up. "Come on, guys," he muttered under his breath. When there was still no response, he thought he would test the door knob just in case. To his surprise, it was unlocked. He opened the door and walked in. The living area was pristine, like it had never been used. It was also empty. Maybe they were packing. He walked towards the direction of one of the bedrooms and was about to knock on the partially closed door when he heard Emily's voice.

"How does this feel, honey? Do you want me to go harder?"

"Yeah." Hotch's voice was a low growl. "Harder and deeper."

The bed creaked. "Like this?" Emily breathed.

Hotch's only response was a groan.

_Are you freakin' kidding me?_ Derek shook his head in complete disbelief at the thought that this was happening to him again. He paused, thinking. There was no way Emily and Hotch were doing the deed. He knew that neither one of them would even consider doing anything remotely inappropriate while they were on a work trip. They were both consummate professionals, to the extent that Derek was impressed at how well they had managed to keep their personal and professional lives completely separate.

"Emily, that feels so good." Hotch sounded like he was currently experiencing a state of utter bliss.

She laughed softly. "You should know by now how talented I am in the art of relieving tension." The bed creaked again.

That's it, he wasn't going to be fooled. Not again. Derek pushed open the bedroom door.

"_Morgan, what the hell!_" Hotch yelled out, simultaneously pulling Emily down onto his chest and dragging the sheet up over their naked bodies.

"_Morgan, you jackass!_" Emily glared furiously at him from her position on Hotch's chest. "What's wrong with you?"

Derek was still frozen with shock. The scene he had walked into of Emily sitting astride Hotch, her bare back towards him and Hotch's hands gripping her hips, was now permanently seared into his memory. As if things weren't bad enough, another voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Morgan, what's the hold up? Did you find Hotch and ..." The voice trailed off when the owner of it caught sight of the bed and its occupants. "Never mind, I see you that you have." The voice was filled with amusement.

"Oh my God," moaned Emily, burying her head in Hotch's chest.

"Dave, get out. You too, Morgan." Hotch had apparently already recovered from the shock and his voice was completely calm.

"Come on, Morgan, let's give them some privacy, hmm?" Derek felt Dave taking his arm and drawing him backwards. Still in partial shock, he allowed himself to be led out into the living area. A second later the bedroom door closed behind them with a firm click.

"For God's sake, Morgan, didn't you hear anything before charging into the room?"

"I did, but I just thought Emily was giving Hotch a massage," protested Derek.

Dave shot him an incredulous look. "A massage? You're joking, right?"

Derek opened his mouth to explain about the other time at Emily's apartment, but then stopped, realising how it would sound. He slumped onto the couch.

"Hey guys, are Hotch and Emily here?" Reid came into the apartment, followed closely by JJ.

"Yep," said Dave as he sat down in an armchair.

Reid raised his eyebrows. "So how come they didn't answer their cells? What were they doing?"

"Each other, apparently," said Dave dryly. Morgan groaned at that statement, closing his eyes and dropping his head back.

"What?" Reid looked at both of them with wide eyes.

"You're kidding, right?" asked JJ.

"Nope. Apparently Morgan was the cause of their _coitus interruptus_." Morgan narrowed his eyes at the older man who wasn't making any effort to stifle his amusement.

Reid frowned. "Umm … I don't think you're using that term correctly. Coitus interruptus refers to the method of birth control where the man withdraws his penis – "

"Reid, _shut up_! I just saw Emily and Hotch engaging in the act of sexual intercourse, all right? _Please_ do not talk to me about penises."

"Wow, Morgan, way to go. Of all the things to walk into ..." JJ laughed. "Wait till I tell Garcia."

"JJ, don't you dare," said Derek in his most intimidating voice.

"All right, all of you, what are you doing here?"

The team looked up at the sound of Hotch's voice. He stood just inside the living room, a frown on his face as he stared at them.

Dave answered. "We were called for consult in Portland and just finished up a couple of hours ago, so we thought we'd drive down here to meet you both and get some dinner before the jet picks us up at 9.45 tonight."

Emily appeared and came to stand next to Hotch. The both of them exchanged a look. Derek frowned. What was going on? He had fully expected her to come out with guns blazing at him.

Emily turned to look at her colleagues. "I'm sorry guys, we're not going to be going back with you tonight. We're taking the week off. We were going to call you later to tell you but you've obviously beaten us to the punch."

Something was off here. "And you guys have cleared your leave with Strauss?" Derek didn't bother to hide the suspicion in his voice.

"Yes, of course we did. What?" Emily narrowed her eyes at him.

He replied slowly. "Look, I'm really sorry to walk into the both of you like that, trust me, but I never thought you guys would you know, while on the job."

"Well, technically we've been off duty since 12 midday. But you're right, we normally wouldn't have, umm … indulged ourselves on bureau financed premises. We kind of got carried away." Emily looked at Hotch again, an embarrassed smile on her face. Hotch took her hand, smiling gently down at her. Derek felt like he was intruding on a private moment when he saw the tenderness in his supervisor's eyes.

"You couldn't help yourselves?" Dave raised his eyebrows at them. "After all this time working together while seeing each other, you couldn't help yourselves?"

Apparently Derek wasn't the only one who thought something was strange.

Emily and Hotch continued to gaze at each other. Hotch lifted an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. Emily inclined her head. He finally looked back at the team.

"We got somewhat carried away because well," he smiled, "we're actually on our honeymoon."

There was stunned silence in the room. Then came a loud chorus of whats, hows and wheres. Hotch held up his hand. "Emily and I were married by an old friend of mine this afternoon."

"Oh my goodness!" JJ rushed forward to hug Emily, tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Emily hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry, it was a spur of the moment thing."

Hugs and kisses of congratulations were exchanged among them and Derek walked up to Emily, giving her a bear hug. "Congratulations, princess. You deserve so much happiness, and I know you'll find it with Hotch. Because if not, you know I'll come and kick his ass."

She laughed. "I'll kick his ass first."

"Amazing," murmured Dave, coming up to Hotch. Dave took Hotch's hand and shook it heartily, clapping his friend on the back. "Congratulations, I'm so happy for the both of you. But spur of the moment, you? Really?"

Hotch laughed. "Believe it or not, it was all my idea. Do you know that every time we've sat down to plan our wedding, something would come up? So, as we were travelling up here for the conference, I thought what the hell. I called up an old friend who's a lawyer here and he told me what we needed to get a marriage licence and offered to officiate it. So here we are."

"I know you're probably all a little disappointed that you didn't get to be there, but don't worry, Hotch and I plan to have another wedding ceremony in a couple of months' time." Emily chuckled. "Mainly because if we don't, Pene will kill me, or worse, plant a fatal virus on my computer."

"I believe this means that we should have a celebration, don't you think?" called out Dave, grinning when there was a chorus of yes's. "Let's find the best restaurant in town. My treat." He laughed out loud at the piercing whistles and catcalls made by the team.

As they filed out of the apartment, Derek overheard Dave. "Well, Aaron, I never thought I'd see Mr Alpha Male himself let Emily be on top," he teased.

"Then you'll be surprised to know that she's had me handcuffed to her bed and totally at the mercy of her and her baton," Hotch replied mildly.

_Nice one, boss._ Derek snickered in the silence that followed. Grinning to himself, he pulled out his cell and turned around to take a photo of Dave.

"What the hell, Morgan?" Dave glared at him.

"SSA David Rossi at a loss for words. I thought this was an epic moment worth capturing."

Dave may have been short of words. But he definitely wasn't short of actions. He flipped Derek the bird.

* * *

><p><em>Later that night in their hotel suite …<em>

"I have something for you."

They were both lying in bed, snuggled together in a post-orgasmic snooze.

"Oh?" Emily watched as Hotch untangled himself from her and reached down to pick up a white box from the floor beside their bed. "What is it?"

"Just a small token of my affection."

She grinned at him. "You are so sweet I could just eat you up." She paused theatrically. "Oh wait, I did." She winked at him.

Hotch shook his head, chuckling. "Open the box, Ms Wannabe Comedienne."

She undid the gold ribbon on top of the box and removed the lid. Inside, nestled among pale gold tissue paper was a beautifully bound manuscript. The cover was made of rich, pale blue vellum, and the title on it read, "Aaron and Emily: Our Love Story". Holding her breath, Emily carefully took out the book and opened it. The first page showed a photo of her and Hotch at the bar where they had first met after their email correspondence. Garcia had taken a screenshot of the exact moment when Hotch was holding Emily's hand and was looking warmly into her eyes, while she was gazing back at him in wonder. She turned over the page, vaguely noticing that her fingers were trembling.

Next were copies of their profiles on the Two Hearts website, and she smiled when her eyes wandered over the section on his profile where Morgan had cheekily inserted the handcuffs and baton references. She turned over to the next page.

"Oh, Aaron," she breathed out. She continued turning the pages over, one by one, even though tears had blurred her vision so that she was unable to read any of the words before her.

Hotch had printed each and every one of their emails to each other, including the conversations they have had. He must have asked Pene for help accessing her emails and texts.

"Hey, what's this?" Hotch gently turned Emily's face up to his. He wiped her tears away with his fingertips.

"I'm just so happy. Today with the wedding, and then dinner with the team, I didn't think I could feel any happier, but this … this is the most incredible present I've ever received." She swallowed, blinking hard to keep more tears at bay.

"You like it then?" His smile widened, his thumb stroking her cheek.

She nodded, gazing up at his dear, dear, face.

"So you don't mind that I asked Garcia to hack into your email and phone accounts?" He smile was slightly tentative.

She shook her head, laughing softly through her tears. Trust him to be worried about breaching her privacy.

"That's good." He looked relieved.

"I love it. Thank you, honey, it's beautiful, and it's so thoughtful of you." She bit her lip as a thought occurred to her. "I didn't get you anything."

Her distress must have shown because Hotch quickly shook his head. "You don't have to get me anything, because you're my present."

"Then I think I got the better deal."

He bent down and gave her a long, tender kiss. "I beg to differ, you are the best present I have ever received, or will ever receive in my entire life."

Her chest tightened. "Really?" She asked, even though she could see the truth reflected in his eyes.

"Really." He smiled at her. "Who would have ever expected you and I to have had a compatibility score of 97.5 percent?"

"Or that we would be the type to have cyber sex?" She grinned.

"Not me," replied Hotch drily.

Emily put the book down and climbed into his lap. She slipped her arms around his neck and nestled her head on his shoulder. "I never thought I'd be one of those success stories on a matchmaking website."

He put his arms around her, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. "I might actually have to thank Morgan for posting that ad for me. The man who saw my wife naked. And me. I reasonably sure I have a mild form of PTSD from that experience."

"I think Morgan's PTSD is worse than yours or mine," she said, chuckling.

"Serves him right." Hotch leaned back against the headboard. "So … you'll still send me dirty emails from time to time, right?" His voice was wistful.

"Absolutely. As long as you promise we can still have cyber sex when we're apart."

Laughter rumbled in his chest. "It's a deal. I love you Emily Hotchner," he murmured.

"And I love you, Aaron Hotchner, my almost perfect match."

As they drifted off to sleep some time later, Emily wondered sleepily if texting would be an appropriate way to tell Hotch that their family would be growing a little earlier than planned.

The End

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><p><strong>Please send me a review, I'd love to hear from you, even if you haven't sent one before now. Thank you!<br>**


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